All of last week, after their first loss of the season, first-year Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak talked about his team having a opportunity to learn from adversity.
Now, the Raiders’ locker room will get a chance to learn their first awful performance of the young Kubiak era.
The Raiders were throttled 45-17 by the New England Patriots on Sunday. They were outclassed in every area, including coaching.
After dominating in the first three weeks and competing to the whistle against the undefeated
Chiefs last week, the Raiders were completely outclassed Sunday. It was something the Raiders hoped would no longer happen in the Kubiak era. But this was a familiar Raiders’ performance in terms of awful defense, out of sync offense and maddening penalties against a Patriots’ team decimated by injuries.
Now, it’s time for Kubiak to overcome this self-inflicted adversity and the schedule is not getting any easier as games against the high-powered Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams at home loom in the next two weeks as they Raiders try not to let their momentum they built toward playoff contention slip away.
Let’s look at the key aspects of this game:
Defense gutted:
The defense has been a problem for the past three games as they have allowed 102 points combined in that stretch. The Patriots had 536 yards of offense. The Patriots came into the game leading the NFL in turnovers and the Raiders were among the league leaders in taakeaways. but Las Vegas could just get one takeaway and one sack. Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye was brilliant as he threw for 374 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. The Raiders’ secondary had a brutal day. Next up are Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford.
Bowers is offense:
At the end of the day, the fact that the Patriots were playing without four cornerbacks, including their stars, didn’t really matter. But Raiders’ star tight end Brock Bowers had a big day. He had eight catches for 110 yards (his second 100-plus yard receiving effort in three games) and a score. He was a weapon on third down.
Ground game stinks again:
This is becoming a problem. The Raiders have the worst ranked run game in the NFL and they had 38 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Starting running back Ashton Jeanty played despite ankle and foot injuries. He didn’t make an imapct as he had 27 yards on 10 carries. The Raiders’ longest run of the day was five yards. Rookie Mike Washington only had one carry despite Jeanty not being 100 percent. Kubiak is doing a good job, but he needs to figure it out on the ground.
Lost in the trenches:
The Raiders offensive and defensive lines were beaten pretty routinely Sunday. That’s where the Patriots’ domination started. Raiders’ defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye were credited with just one tackle each. After a strong Week 1, Paye has been quiet with just a total of six assisted tackle in the past four games. Also, the Raiders’ allowed a season-high three sacks.
Mendoza debuts:
There was some excitement late in this stinker as No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza played down the stretch. It was his NFL debut. Mendoza moved well as he completed six of eight passes for 48 yards in garbage time. It was a valuable experience for a player who will be a starter at some point. So, this lost Sunday proved to be a good time to get Mendoza’s NFL feet wet.
No Marvin Harrison trade:
The Raiders were rumored to be a potential trade partner for Arizona Cardinals’ wide receiver Marvin Harrison. But Sunday he was sent to the Houston Texans for a package that included a 2027 second-round pick. While Harrison is out, the Raiders could still look for help at the position. They are injured at the spot and their receivers combined for eight catches Sunday.
Penalties a problem:
The Riders had just 120 penalty yards in the first four games. However, the flag was not their friend Sunday as the Raiders had eight penalties for 101 yards. The refs were busy. The Patriots were flagged 12 times for 116 yards. So, the officials were not the reason why the Raiders lost this game
Big miss:
After the Raiders recovered a fumble in New England territory, Matt Gay attempted a49-yard field goal, but missed it. The keep the score 14-7 late in the second quarter. It was Gay’s first miss after he made his first 10 field-goal attempts.
Big hit for Patriots:
The Patriots lost standout offensive lineman Will Campbell and running back Treveyon Henderson in the first half. The Patriots came into the game battered.
Porter replaces Masses:
Rookie Zeke Masses replaced second-year player Darien Porter as a starting quarterback earlier this season, but Porter replaced Masses in the second quarter Sunday. Masses played to begin the second half and he committed penalties on the second and third plays of the series. Porter later replaced him. We will see how that plays out moving forward. Porter played just three defensive snaps in Week 4.
Linderbaum struggles in this area:
New Raider’s star center Tyler Linderbaum has been a terrific free-agent addition. But Sunday hew as called for being offsides on a tush-push play for the second time this season. Kind of a rare call.
Tough start for Stokes:
Raiders’ cornerback Eric Stokes was called for two pass interference penalties on the Patriots’ first two drives of the game. They scored on both drives.
Streaks broken:
The Raiders went seven gamed dating back to last season, not allowing any opening drive points. The Patirots scored on their first drive Sunday. Also, the Patriots hadn’t allowed any first-quarter points until the Raiders scored a touchdown Sunday.
JPJ starts:
As expected, Jackson Powers-Johnson was back in the starting lineup Sunday after he missed last week’s game with a groin injury. He was spelled by second-year player Caleb Rogers, who struggled in pass protection.
Thompkins is returner:
Wide receiver Devin Thompkins, who was elevated from the practice squad for the game, was a kick returner with Dylan Laube. Dareke Young, who fumbled a kickoff last week, has been replaced, for at least, this week.
Inactive again:
Second-year defensive tackle JJ Pegues and rookie safety Dalton Johnson were both inactive after they both played for the first time last week. With Pegues out, Former top-of-the-rotation defensive tackle Jonah Laulu was active again.
