No one cares about special teams unless something goes terrific or horrific.
For the Las Vegas Raiders, it was the latter.
Daniel Carlson’s 54-yard go-ahead field goal attempt with 38 seconds left on the
clock was blocked by Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell — who arrived sprinting from the edge with a perfectly-timed leap with outstretched arms — and the dumbfounded look on the Raiders’ kicker and punter AJ Cole III (who serves as the holder on Carlson’s field goal attempts) said it all: The Silver & Black gave this one away.
That great play by Blackwell preserved Chicago’s 25-24 lead boosting the Bears to .500 on the year at 2-2 while the Raiders fell to 1-3. The shellshocked look Las Vegas’ kicker and punter is a universal thing in the locker room as the team is once again left searching for answers in a game it could’ve easily won.
It likely didn’t help that Allegiant Stadium erupted in cheers as it was a 50/50 house of both Raiders and Bears fans.
The defeat wasted rookie running back Ashton Jeanty’s monster game in a get-right contest — 138 yards rushing on 21 carries, including a 64-yard breakaway touchdown and two touchdown catches — and defensive end Maxx Crosby playing out of his mind — five total tackles, three stops for loss, three pass deflections, and an interception.
And the disconcerting loss falls heavily on the shoulders of quarterback Geno Smith, who threw a trio of interceptions that gave Chicago the ball in Raiders territory.
Perhaps Las Vegas should count itself fortunate that Bears head coach and offensive play caller Ben Johnson wasn’t at the top of his game alongside his team not executing to its fullest Otherwise, a one-point loss may have been worse.
The Bears offense started on the Raiders’ 24-yard line after the first interception; again on the 24 on the second pick; and on Las Vegas’ 40-yard line on the third takeaway. And Chicago only scored 13 points — two field goals and a touchdown after those turnovers.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Jeanty smoked the Bears defense on his 64-yard scamper and the blur Blackwell was when he blocked the go-ahead field goal:
—Crosby’s tip drill interception was the first of his career. The concentration he showcased on that takeaway along with terrorizing Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a sight to behold. The Raiders defense’s lone sack of the afternoon was Tyree Wilson dropping Williams for a 10-yard loss in the second quarter to force a Chicago punt.
—Smith’s low throw to rookie wideout Dont’e Thornton Jr. that resulted in an incompletion turned into a field goal to give Las Vegas a brief 24-19 lead. Had the throw been on target, a catch at the goal line by Thornton could’ve been a much-needed touchdown and a potential 28-19 advantage. The little things can cost a team big.
—The trio of interceptions against Chicago gives Smith a tally of seven picks thrown on the season. The Raiders quarterback has thrown six touchdowns in four games played so far. Bears safety Kevin Byard III picked Smith off twice on Sunday while cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had the other interception.
—Raiders veteran running back Raheem Mostert galloped for 62 yards on just four carries (with a robust 15.5 yards per carry average). His 37-yard scamper in the fourth quarter brought the crowd to its feet and helped put Las Vegas in position for a Carlson field goal to make it 24-19.
—Linebacker Devin White paced the Raiders defense with nine total tackles. The veteran also had a stop for loss and a pass deflection. Safety Jeremy Chinn pitched in with seven total tackles while cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly racked up six total tackles.
—Chicago ran a total of 64 plays on offense generating just 271 total yards and had possession of the ball for 33:10 of the 60-minute game. The team even committed more penalties (eight for 60 yards). But Las Vegas’ turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble lost) made a big difference as the Raiders ran 52 offensive plays (for 357 total yards) and possessed the ball for 26:50 in comparison.
—Tight end Brock Bowers led Raiders pass catchers with five grabs for 46 yards. That’s pedestrian numbers for the sensational tight end. With Smith struggling, so did the air attack as wide receiver Jakobi Meyers netted four catches for 30 yards. A 19-yard gain was the longest play through the air for Las Vegas.
Quotes of Note
“The first two, I thought Kevin 9Byard lll) made great plays. They were playing Tampa 2, he’s the Tampa safety player. He’s carrying the vertical, as soon as I cut the ball loose, he stops, he dives and catches one. The other one, it kind of just hit him right in the chest. I’m putting this on myself, but sometimes they make great plays. The last one was just a terrible throw. And the reality is, again, is that I’m better than that, and I know that. Like I said, I don’t know what the outside is going to say, I really don’t care, but internally, I hold myself to a very high standard, and right now I haven’t met that standard. There’s a lot of hard work that needs to be done, and that’s all I can focus on is making this stuff right.”
—Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith on the three interceptions he threw
“I mean, we’re really close. We’re right there. It came down to the last play. We’ve got to find a way to not make it so hard on ourselves. It’s the only thing we can do. Freaking hurts, sucks, I hate losing. Nobody in this locker room likes losing, so we’ve got to just find ways to win.”
—Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on the one-point loss
Up Next
Sliding deeper into a losing streak, the Raiders hit the road to face the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday. The Colts (3-1 overall) finally tasted bitter defeat in a 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday. It was a loss that saw quarterback Daniel Jones throw two interceptions to one touchdown, but in reality it should’ve been at least two touchdown throws as second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell fumbled the ball out of the end zone just before crossing it on a would-be 75-yard touchdown catch.
