The Las Vegas Raiders played another team that was heavily hampered by injuries and got the crap kicked out of them again. From the second series, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the defense had nothing for 13-personnel. Offensively, the flaws of Klint Kubiak’s rookie head coaching campaign were on full display.
Kubiak continues to pick interesting times to be aggressive on fourth downs in the red zone with little to no return on his analytical beliefs. Combined with going for two-point conversions
twice and failing to convert, his aggressiveness continues to cost the team points. Pressing is natural and to be expected when trying to come from behind, but when down by multiple scores, points in every possession are essential. Trying to win games in one possession is something he will need to calm down on.
After seven weeks with the offensive lineup, Kubiak continues to trot out; his offense is entirely predictable. Former first-round draft pick and #6 overall Ashton Jeanty is more Jalen Richard than the generational talent he was billed as. Every time Mike Washington Jr. touches the football and clears the line of scrimmage, it is clear who is the better option at running back. To everyone except Kubiak, who continues to feature an ineffective runner for three plays and a punt.
Brock Bowers, as a wide receiver, was a good experiment and can be effective in spurts, but as an every-down wideout, he’s not the answer. Bowers finished the game with six receptions for 73 yards, but despite these numbers, it was still a rather pedestrian game for him. Most of his catches were junk-time plays when the defense had eased off the press coverage.
The fact that the Kubiak isn’t able to call plays where his receivers can beat man coverage is an indictment of not only his play calling but also his personnel. Beating man coverage is as elementary as football gets. But, it’s not all on the wide receivers. Cousins, for all the good that he has done and being tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns, hasn’t been hitting wide-open receivers when they have presented themselves.
Finally some offense
In the second half, speedy wide receiver Tre Tucker showed why he should be more than an afterthought in this offense. With a pass he could do something with, he showed YAC (yards after the catch) ability, taking a short reception and finishing with a 41-yard catch-and-run. Later, he added a 37-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown after making a man miss.
Jeanty, had his lowest average yard per carry total of the season 1.9 yards, and is averaging 2.9 yards per carry on the season. However, he has proved his worth as a pass catcher. Catching a season-high eight passes on eight targets, including both a 22-yard sideline catch and a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Ultimately, the offense was unable to overcome the lack of their own running game and Kubiak’s strange fascination with wanting to see Washington’s blocking ability over his 4.9 yards-per-carry average. On a team with a non-existent rushing attack, keeping a runner like Washington on the bench instead of switching Jeanty to a complementary role, which better suits him, is hurting the team. If “just win baby” is the goal, Kubiak needs to get over his own biases and coach to the strengths of his team and players.
