Loser: LB Raekwon McMillian
The Raiders were missing two of their primary linebackers going into this game and needed to look to their depth for help in that area. They Looked to Raekwon Mcmillian, who was making his first start for the Raiders against his former team in the Dolphins. It was not the performance he had hoped for in his revenge game.
Mcmillian had two huge missed tackles in this game that led to points. The first one was on a fake punt where he played it perfectly and met the ball carrier in the hole, but the player spun off, which led to a huge gain on the punt return. The next one was ugly, with him missing a tackle on Myles Gaskin that led to a 59-yard touchdown and the Dolphins taking the lead.
Also, he gave a huge play playing Tampa 2 in coverage against Mike Gesicki. Mcmillan is usually good playing run defense, but he will always be a liability in coverage. He is definitely a player the Raiders should not bring back.
Loser: CB Damon Arnette
The Raiders took a chance in the draft by selecting Damon Arnette in the first round after a lackluster combine from the young corner. His struggles continued this season and showed their head against the Dolphins and him allowing the massive play to end the game.
Arnette did not have a good game in coverage, with all six of his targets leading to the reception. His tackling was herald as one of the reasons he was taken that high but missed three tackles according to PFF on Saturday, giving him a total of 12 on the season. Of course, his biggest mistake was not getting deep in his cover 2 responsibilities leading to the field goal that helped seal the Dolphins’ win.
This draft pick will be scrutinized for awhile if Arnette doesn’t pan out. He has struggled all season but has displayed small flashes that display he can be a good player at this level. Corners do take time to develop, but fans still want to see more from their first-round pick.
Loser: HC Jon Gruden
Gruden continues to have late-season collapses, and his ugly record in December continues to grow. It all came to a head with his decision to go for a field goal instead of scoring a touchdown late in the game. The conservative play call wasn’t terrible, but it was a microcosm of everything of Gruden’s tenure so far.
The decision will be discussed for a while, but technically, it was smart from an analytical perspective. The Raiders had a win probability was 99 percent at that point, and it seemed they had the victory locked in. But the approach is just something Gruden has in him altogether, and in today’s NFL, it is hard to win that way.
The collapse still has to be on him as the coach. You can’t two years in a row where these types of things happen. These areas are starting to become apart of Gruden’s legacy as a head coach, and he has to get them fixed fast.
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