3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 7 Loss

At one point, it seemed like the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have gotten postponed. Offensive tackle Trent Brown tested positive for COVID-19, the rest of the Raiders' offensive line was sent home from practice and the game was moved out of the Sunday night primetime slot (and up to a 4:05 p.m. ET start) to ensure the NFL would still have Sunday Night Football.

However, the game went on as planned. And although the Raiders played the Bucs close for much of the day, Tampa Bay pulled away late for a 45-20 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Coming off their bye week, the Raiders fell to 3-3 with their third loss in the past four games. Although the lone win during that stretch came against the first-place Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas is now 2 1/2 games behind them in the AFC West.

Here are three takeaways from the Raiders' loss on Sunday.

Although the Raiders' starting offensive line was sent home following Brown's positive COVID-19 test, the others tested negative so Brown was the only one to miss Sunday's game. However, it didn't take long for Las Vegas' depth up front to get tested.

Starting right tackle Sam Young exited with a knee injury in the second quarter and starting right guard Gabe Jackson was ejected in the third quarter due to an altercation with a Tampa Bay defender. So after a week in which the starters couldn't practice while quarantining, the Raiders still had to turn to backups during the game.

Las Vegas' offense had some strong moments against Tampa Bay, but it couldn't get anything going on the ground. It had 76 total rushing yards, and starting running back Josh Jacobs had only 17 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Derek Carr was the team's second-leading rusher with 19 yards on two carries.

It likely hurt that the Raiders didn't have their starting offensive line and had to mix in several backups, but they were also facing the top-ranked rushing defense in the NFL, as the Buccaneers are allowing only 66 yards on the ground per game. Meanwhile, Carr was sacked three times, and when Las Vegas needed to score late, it was blanked for the final 12 minutes, 43 seconds of the game.

The woes up front for the Raiders could go away once they get healthier and, most importantly, can have everybody back at practice during the week.

This past offseason, Nelson Agholor signed a one-year deal with the Raiders for the veteran minimum. It's turned out to be a great investment for Las Vegas, as the 27-year-old wide receiver continues to make big plays, and he's now getting a bigger role in the offense.

Agholor scored a touchdown for the third straight game on Sunday, notching his fourth scoring grab of the season. He also set season highs in receptions (five), targets (nine) and yards (107). His touchdown was a 20-yard pass from Carr that gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead just 5 minutes, 5 seconds into the game.

"Nelson has been such a huge pickup and such a great player for us," Carr said, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I’m sure there’s a few plays he wants back, but I told him I’m going to keep throwing it, so just keep doing what you’re doing."

The Raiders drafted a pair of wide receivers in the 2020 NFL draft (Henry Ruggs III in the first round and Bryan Edwards in the third round), but both have dealt with injuries during their rookie seasons. With neither breaking out yet, Agholor has given Carr a reliable veteran receiver he can throw the ball to in the meantime, and it's working out well.

Agholor now leads Raiders wide receivers in yards (292) and touchdowns this season.

Through seven weeks, the Raiders are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the fewest takeaways in the NFL, as they have only three interceptions. They had no takeaways against the Buccaneers, and they also never sacked quarterback Tom Brady.

That helped lead to Tampa Bay amassing 454 total yards of offense, which included 369 yards through the air from Brady. Las Vegas allowed three touchdowns in the final 7:22 of the game, after it had been trailing by only four points. A big play on defense could have helped shift the momentum, but that never came for the Raiders.

After the game, Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden suggested that changes could be coming on defense. It's not clear what those may be, but it appears he isn't pleased with the efforts on that side of the ball.

"We have to play better and we will," Gruden said, according to Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It goes back to me. I’m not making excuses. I’m not going to say anything here today, but there are things we need to look at and that process begins as soon as this press conference is over."

The Raiders are allowing 403.7 total yards per game, which is the seventh most in the NFL this season.