3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 14 Loss

A month ago, the Las Vegas Raiders appeared to be cruising toward a playoff berth. Now, they're enduring some midseason struggles they'll need to correct quickly.

On Sunday, the Raiders lost to the Indianapolis Colts 44-27 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It was their third loss in four games, which has pushed them out of a playoff spot in the AFC wild-card race.

Las Vegas only trailed Indianapolis by seven points entering the fourth quarter, but the Colts scored 17 straight points to put the Raiders in a hole that was too large to overcome.

Khari Willis' 50-yard interception return touchdown with 5 minutes, 22 seconds to go sealed the win for Indianapolis and put any idea of a Las Vegas comeback to rest.

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

The Raiders gave up 456 total yards. They couldn't stop the pass, as the Colts aired it out for 244 yards and got a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Philip Rivers, both going to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Las Vegas also couldn't stop the run, as Jonathan Taylor ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns to lead an Indianapolis rushing attack that accumulated 212 yards.

The Raiders had no sacks and forced no turnovers. And now, they have a new defensive coordinator.

After the game, Las Vegas announced it had fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who had been with the team since Jon Gruden became head coach in 2018, and replaced him with defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.

The switch likely wasn't just because of Sunday, as the Raiders' defense is ranked 25th in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (384.2) and 30th in points allowed per game (30.1). But their showing against the Colts certainly didn't help Guenther's case for staying.

"Defensively, we had no answer," Gruden said, according to W.G. Ramirez of the Associated Press. "You can’t give up that many yards rushing, and not get to the quarterback, and lose the turnover margin, and expect to win in this league."

Perhaps the move will give Las Vegas' defense a much-needed boost for the final three weeks of the regular season. If that's the case, it could get into the playoffs if it starts to play better on that side of the ball.

Throughout the season, Nelson Agholor has proved to be one of the best under-the-radar free-agent acquisitions of 2020. And even as the Raiders struggle, the wide receiver continues to show he's a great addition to their offense.

The 27-year-old hauled in five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown—his seventh of the year—on Sunday. It was the second time he's reached the 100-yard mark this season and the first time since Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also hasn't gone more than two games without a touchdown at any point this year.

Las Vegas' offense wasn't perfect against Indianapolis. Despite totaling 424 yards and collecting 26 first downs, it committed three turnovers. But Agholor continued to be one of its bright spots, scoring on a 21-yard pass from quarterback Derek Carr with 10:38 to go in the second quarter, putting the Raiders up 14-10.

Over the final three weeks of the regular season, the USC product will have an opportunity to set some career highs. He's 133 yards shy of his career best (768 with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017) and needs one touchdown to tie his career high (eight, also in 2017).

Even if Agholor doesn't reach those marks, he's still proved to be a valuable addition to Las Vegas' offense.

Gruden made one thing clear after Sunday's loss: He doesn't want his players thinking about the playoffs and the help they may need from other results in upcoming weeks in order to get there. He emphasized that point during his postgame press conference.

"We can't worry about the playoffs and who's winning and losing around the league," he told the media. "We've got to take care of our business. I don't want to hear any more playoff questions, we've got to take care of our business, try to find a way to win our eighth football game."

But the fact of the matter is, the Raiders do need some help now to reach the postseason. The Colts moved up to the No. 6 seed by improving to 9-4, while the Miami Dolphins are now in the No. 7 seed (the third and final wild-card spot) at 8-5.

It's possible the Baltimore Ravens will also be 8-5 if they beat the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. If they lose, they will fall to 7-6, which will make them even with Las Vegas a game back of Miami.

The Raiders' final three regular-season games are against the Los Angeles Chargers (4-9), Dolphins and the Denver Broncos (5-8).

The Week 16 home matchup against Miami could be crucial for the wild-card race, but Las Vegas also needs to play well against its upcoming lesser opponents, AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.