The Las Vegas Raiders have some difficult decisions to make in the 2023 offseason. It's safe to say when the organization hired Josh McDaniels away from the...
Josh McDaniels, Penalties Sink Raiders' Season in Stunning Fashion vs. Baker Mayfield
Dec 9, 2022
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels
In something out of a Hollywood script, Baker Mayfield joined the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday and delivered an epic comeback win on Thursday. That's going to be the topic of conversation heading into the weekend, and rightfully so. However, Mayfield's signature drive overshadows the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders blew a game they should have won.
Poor decision-making by head coach Josh McDaniels gave Mayfield and the Rams one last chance. Dumb penalties extended their opportunity. Las Vegas' three-game winning streak is over as is, most likely, its playoff chances.
The Raiders have no one but themselves to blame.
What Mayfield did on Thursday was incredible, and perhaps unprecedented.
Baker Mayfield playing Quarterback for the Rams tonight, 2 days after joining the team, is the shortest amount of time spent with a new team before playing QB (since at least 1995)
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick had some understandably shaky moments, but he played extremely well considering the short amount of time he's been a Ram. He finished 22-of-35 for 230 yards and a game-winning touchdown.
That score came after engineering a 98-yard drive with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts. He capped it with a laser strike to Van Jefferson in the end zone.
Do the Rams have any giant flags lying around? Asking for a friend…@bakermayfield | #OUDNA
That's incredible stuff, but realistically, Mayfield and the Rams should have never had a chance in this one. Las Vegas took a 13-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. The lead probably should have been larger.
McDaniels called an extremely conservative game against the Rams, opting to ride the running game and settle for field goals. Quarterback Derek Carr attempted just 20 passes, while the Raiders rushed 38 times as a team.
Perhaps McDaniels didn't trust Carr, who did toss a pair of interceptions, or perhaps he didn't respect L.A.'s ability to put points on the board. Either way, going conservative was the wrong call.
The Raiders scored a touchdown on their opening drive and didn't find the end zone again.
McDaniels was especially timid late in the game. He opted to kick a field goal on 4th-and-3 from the Rams 18-yard line in the fourth quarter. After L.A. scored on the ensuing drive, McDaniels chose to punt on 4th-and-1 when a first down would have sealed it.
Of course, the loss wasn't entirely on McDaniels. Penalties—the Raiders had seven of them for 94 yards—absolutely doomed Las Vegas. The Rams' final drive was kept alive by an Amik Robinson pass interference penalty and a Jerry Tillery unsportsmanlike conduct call.
And Las Vegas' defense on that final 98-yard drive was simply atrocious. Los Angeles didn't have its top weapon in Cooper Kupp (injured reserve, ankle) and still drove nearly the length of the field.
#Raiders let the Rams go 98 yards in two minutes to win the game with:
* A QB cut by the Panthers * A QB only one team put a claim in on * A QB who joined the Rams 48 hours ago * Tutu Atwell, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek as weapons * The NFL’s worst offensive line
Raiders defenders failed to execute, but defensive coordinator Patrick Graham doesn't get off the hook. His decision to play press coverage at the end of the drive instead of protecting the end zone surprised even Mayfield.
"To be honest with you I was completely shocked they would line up in press coverage with 15 seconds left," Mayfield said on the Amazon postgame segment.
The offense deserves some blame too. Carr didn't have a great game, or even a good game, and his interception in the end zone on a badly floated ball was a backbreaker.
Carr's second interception came on Las Vegas' desperation drive at the end of the game and was largely inconsequential.
If Carr doesn't throw the first pick, if the Raiders don't play not to lose late, if their defense doesn't draw multiple flags on the game-winning drive, Las Vegas wins this game.
However, this wasn't a game decided by bad fortune. It was another sign of what has become a problematic trend in Las Vegas this season. The Raiders have repeatedly blown big leads under McDaniels.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, Las Vegas is only the fourth team to blow four leads of 13 or more points in the same season.
The Raiders are the fourth team to lose 4 games in a season after leading by 13 or more points, joining the 1998 Colts, 1996 Jets and 1982 Rams. pic.twitter.com/8a2bbblLwu
According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Raiders are the first team "since at least 1930" to lose four games when leading by at least 10 points at halftime.
Oh, and Las Vegas' previous loss came against the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Jeff Saturday—who debuted in that game with no previous NFL coaching experience.
What's likely most frustrating for Raiders fans is that this isn't a bad football team. From Carr, Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams to Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, it's loaded with Pro Bowl-caliber talent.
Talent alone doesn't win games, though, which is why McDaniels has come under fire in his first season as the Raiders' head coach.
Franchise owner Mark Davis offered up his support for McDaniels after Las Vegas started the season 2-7.
"I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job," Davis said, per Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "You have to look at where we came from and where we’re going."
After 2-7 became 5-7, it felt like Davis' faith in McDaniels was justified. It feels less so after Thursday's loss. The Raiders had a sloppy, uninspired performance against a team with little to play for, and it likely cost them any chance at the postseason.
Their final four games won't be easy. They host the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs with a road trip to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
Yet, a 4-0 run to finish the season isn't entirely unrealistic. The Patriots and Steelers are average teams, the 49ers have lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Chiefs may have no reason to play their starters in the finale.
Due to Thursday's loss, though—and due to Las Vegas' other baffling losses this season—4-0 probably won't matter. The Raiders can now finish, at best, 9-8. That's just not going to be good enough in a deep AFC.
Credit Mayfield for ripping the Raiders' hearts out on a national stage, but he's not the reason Las Vegas isn't a playoff team. The Raiders simply aren't disciplined enough, aggressive enough or well-coached enough to make a run this season.
NFL Twitter Rips Raiders for Late-Game Collapse in Loss vs. Baker Mayfield, Rams
Dec 9, 2022
INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 08: Oakland Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrates a tackle with safety Duron Harmon (30) during the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams on December 8, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders fell to the Los Angeles Rams 17-16 on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium thanks to a late fourth-quarter collapse by Josh McDaniels' squad.
A series of defensive penalties and a perfectly-executed drive by Sean McVay's offense in the final moments of the game helped the Rams seal the victory.
A defensive pass interference penalty by Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by defensive tackle Jerry Tillery helped Baker Mayfield and the Rams move the ball down the field on their game-winning drive.
Mayfield found Van Jefferson for a 23-yard touchdown with just 10 seconds remaining for the comeback victory. The Raiders held a 16-3 lead with under four minutes to go.
The Las Vegas defense allowed just 282 total yards to the Rams, but they were moreso ripped by NFL Twitter for their late-game collapse:
#Raiders has to be the first team to lose to a HC who arrives week of the game and then lose to a QB whose been there for 30 hrs…in the same season. Unreal.
#Raiders have now lost to an interim head coach who had just days to prepare for the game (Colts) and a QB who didn't know the playbook or many of his teammates (Rams).
They had so many chances to put the Rams away. They have now lost to a head coach who isn’t actually a coach and a QB in his second day with his new team.
I seriously can’t get over what an awful franchise the Raiders are
You’re paying Jon Gruden for another seven years, firing McDaniels would double the figure for three years – and you’d have to hire another coach you’ll need to fire immediately
The Rams would have been eliminated from playoff contention with a loss, but their playoff hopes are still alive—for now.
With the loss, the Raiders dropped to 5-8 on the season. If they won, they would have been right on the bubble and in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC, but now the team's chances of making the postseason are pretty slim.
Bruce Allen Testified That Jon Gruden's Racist Emails Were Leaked by Commanders
Dec 8, 2022
FILE -Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Landover, Md. Over the past 100 years, around 110 men and a handful of women have owned controlling portions of NFL teams. Of that select group, all but two have been white. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)
The final report from a 14-month-long investigation into Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform was released on Thursday, and it included information about the leaked emails of former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden.
Per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the 79-page report stated that former Commanders president and general manager Bruce Allen testified that he was told by NFL senior vice president Lisa Friel that the Commanders leaked the emails containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic language that led to Gruden's resignation in October 2021.
Allen also testified under oath that Snyder hired private investigators last year and spoke of plans to follow other individuals, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The committee's report said Snyder gave misleading testimony and didn't admit to targeting Goodell.
"For example, although Mr. Snyder admitted to using private investigators, he testified that he was 'unaware' whom his investigators approached and did not 'remember' having conversations with his counsel about the individuals targeted," the report stated.
Former Washington team president Bruce Allen testified under oath that Dan Snyder hired private investigators to monitor him last year.
Allen also testified that Snyder commented on plans to follow other individuals, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. pic.twitter.com/kZGTM4cE0t
A bombshell report from the New York Times contained the leaked emails Gruden sent to Allen's team account from 2011 to 2018 while Gruden worked as an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football. The committee's report stated that Allen called Friel upon learning about the leak to complain and "she indicated that the team was responsible for the leak, stating: 'We didn't do it at the league office. It came out of their side.'"
Last November, Gruden filed a lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell alleging that he was "forced to resign." The 59-year-old said that the leak of the emails was "a malicious and orchestrated campaign" to "destroy [his] career and reputation."
Maske and Jhabvala reported that Commanders co-CEO Tanya Snyder told fellow NFL owners at a league meeting in October 2021 that the emails were not leaked by her or her husband.
However, the committee's report stated that Daniel Snyder's lawyers sent the committee "a batch of internal emails containing inappropriate content from Mr. Allen's Commanders email account" one day prior to Allen's remote deposition subpoena in September, and that batch included the leaked emails from the New York Times report.
It remains to be seen what repercussions this new revelation will have on Gruden's lawsuit against the NFL.
After a disappointing start to the 2022 season, the Las Vegas Raiders are on a roll now. And they're finally winning the types of close games that so often...
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 15: Davante Adams #17 (L) and Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field on November 15, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
An NFL executive believes the Green Bay Packers may not have been aware of wide receiver Davante Adams' true impact before trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel executive said the Packers "perhaps didn't realize what their identity was," which was for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball up to Adams when a play was needed on offense.
The exec noted that the decision to trade Adams "did not work," and that Green Bay should have kept its No. 1 wideout for Rodgers' "peace of mind."
Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been shells of their former selves this season, which is why the Packers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL with a 4-8 record.
While Rodgers was NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021, the 18-year veteran has largely looked average this season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,682 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Much of that seemingly has to do with a lack of established weapons. Without Adams in the fold, Rodgers has had to lean on Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at receiver, although most of them have missed significant time due to injury.
That, in turn, has caused Rodgers to hold the ball longer than usual, and it has resulted in him getting sacked 24 times in 12 games.
Adams isn't enjoying much team success either this season, playing for the 4-7 Raiders, but he has continued to be a stud individually with Derek Carr throwing him the ball.
Through 11 games, Adams has made 71 grabs for 999 yards and 10 touchdowns, putting him in the mix to possibly be a first-team All-Pro for the third year in a row.
Adams has finished with double-digit touchdowns three years in a row and six of the past seven seasons, plus he had well over 100 catches in both 2020 and 2021, and a career-high 1,553 yards last season.
It is now blatantly obvious that Adams was the one who made the Green Bay offense go, and it is no coincidence that the Packers now look like a cellar-dwelling team after three straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021.
Raiders' Josh Jacobs Says Seahawks Heckler's Sign and Trash Talk 'Turnt Me Up'
Nov 28, 2022
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 27: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates a touchdown during the first half in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
Most times, the enthusiasm of Seattle Seahawks fans creates a massive home-field advantage.
On Sunday, it backfired.
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs credited one overzealous Seattle fan with helping motivate him before Las Vegas' 40-34 victory over the Seahawks.
“It all started before the game,” Jacobs told Peter King of NBC Sports. “This fan, when we came out of the tunnel, held up a sign: ‘3-7. NOT BAD FOR A TEAM WITH NO TALENT.’ And he was screaming at us, all this bad stuff. I just looked up at him and said, ‘Thank you for that. I needed that today. You turnt me up.’”
Jacobs rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including an 86-yard scamper in overtime to seal the win. The monster performance allowed Jacobs to take over the NFL's rushing lead with 1,159 yards on the season. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is in second place, but he's a whopping 111 yards behind Jacobs.
It's been a trying season in Las Vegas, with six of the Raiders' seven losses coming by one score. They actually have a better point differential than the 6-5 Chargers, who will travel to Las Vegas next Sunday.
Now winners of two straight games, the Raiders may have one specific fan in Seattle to thank if they turn things around in the final stretch of the season.
Raiders OT Kolton Miller Inactive vs. Broncos Due to Shoulder, Abdominal Injuries
Nov 20, 2022
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 27: Kolton Miller #74 of the Oakland Raiders walks to the locker room after the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders offensive tackle Kolton Miller is inactive for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos because of shoulder and abdominal injuries, the team announced.
Miller practiced on a limited basis leading up to Sunday's game.
Miller joined the Raiders as the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. The tackle quickly emerged as a cornerstone of the team's offensive line, starting 63 of a possible 65 games over his first four seasons.
The 27-year-old California native missed a majority of the 2016 campaign at UCLA because of a foot injury. It was his only notable health setback at the college level. He didn't miss any games as a rookie in the NFL despite dealing with knee issues. He sat out two games in 2020 with an ankle injury.
While he's sidelined with the latest ailment, Thayer Munford should be in line to fill the starting void opposite Jermaine Eluemunor for the Raiders. Jackson Barton is the team's other reserve option at tackle.
Las Vegas has embraced an old-school brand of football, which places an extra level of importance on play up front. Miller will be a crucial factor in that scheme over the long haul, but the team should have enough depth to replace him in the short term.
Raiders' Josh McDaniels: 'I Appreciate' Mark Davis' Support Amid 2-7 Start
Nov 16, 2022
CANTON, OHIO - AUGUST 04: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders (R) talks with Raiders owner Mark Davis prior to the 2022 Pro Hall of Fame Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on August 04, 2022 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is glad to have team owner Mark Davis on his side.
"I appreciate Mark's support—I've always appreciated it," McDaniels told reporters Wednesday. "I've said that number of times. We're all here because of him and we all want to do right by him.
"He's continued to try and give us anything we need or ask for to try to help us be successful. I appreciate his long-term view on it, too. I really do."
McDaniels' comments come after Davis said he believes the coach is "doing a fantastic job," per Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The owner also said "why wouldn't I?" when asked if he thinks the Raiders have their long-term head coach.
Echoing those sentiments, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported McDaniels, who signed a four-year contract with Las Vegas ahead of the 2022 campaign, was "given assurances by ownership that he will return" next season.
While there may be more of a long-term approach for the Raiders after a 2-7 start, they figured to be in win-now mode this year after trading for Davante Adams during the offseason. This team made the playoffs a season ago and gave up multiple draft picks for one of the top wide receivers in the league.
Things have not gone to plan, and Sunday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts was perhaps the most jarring considering the AFC South team was playing its first game since firing head coach Frank Reich and hiring former center Jeff Saturday even though the latter had no coaching experience at the NFL or college levels.
McDaniels has a track record of success that includes three Super Bowl titles as an offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots as part of Bill Belichick's staff.
Yet the concern for the Raiders is that his track record doesn't extend to his time as a head coach when he doesn't have Tom Brady under center. He went just 11-17 as the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010 and isn't exactly inspiring much confidence during his start with Las Vegas.
Perhaps things will eventually turn around, but he can at least take solace in knowing that Davis is in his corner.
