The Las Vegas Raiders went into Foxboro on Sunday to improve to 4-1, but the New England Patriots blasted them 45-17. Las Vegas came out flat and never recovered. The loss showed the Raiders still have a long way to go to become the team they want to be.
Offense could not handle the blitz
The Patriots played without four cornerbacks. They knew they had to pressure Kirk Cousins early so the Raiders couldn't exploit the secondary. New England did a great job with their blitz packages to make Cousins move in the pocket and throw of is backfoot. The Patriots sacked Cousins three times and had a lot of quaterback hits.
"They did a great job in their blitz package, and when you pass it that many times, there's gonna be those, but overall, I think they did a great job of pressuring us
today," Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said.
When you're behind, you have to throw the ball to get back in the game, so the Raiders had to throw it a lot more. It seemed like the Raiders never adjusted their blitz package. Normally, you would try quicker throws, screens, and quick-hitting seam passes. Not being able to run the ball didn't help either.
Pass defense couldn't stop a nosebleed
The Raiders gave up 536 total yards: 371 through the air and 165 on the ground. The Patriots protected quarterback Drake Maye well, sacking him only once. New England used a tight end to chip Crosby, slowing him down so the tackle could take over the block. The Raiders' defense struggled to generate pressure.
The Raiders' back end struggled badly, picking up many defensive pass interference and holding penalties. Also, many open receivers ran through the Raiders' young secondary.
New England's opening 35-yard touchdown to DeMario Douglas came off a coverage breakdown due to miscommunication involving Treydan Stukes. Rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses was beaten on Kyle Williams' touchdown. Maye did a good job attacking the one-on-one matchups. Without a pass rush, it's hard to ask a corner to cover for long periods. Pass rush and coverage have to work together.
The Raiders need to adjust in passing situations, improve pre-snap communication, and build a more consistent pass rush. They also need to avoid predictable coverage calls that let opposing quarterbacks identify favorable matchups before the snap.
Raiders outcoached
Watching the game, you can tell the Patriots did their homework on the Raiders. They loaded up to stop the run and didn't let the play-action fool them. They also didn't fear the Raiders' receivers and knew the Raiders wouldn't take shots downfield.
New England knew they would get a lot of one-on-one coverage and took advantage of it. They also knew they could run on the Raiders based on other games this season. Kubiak acknowledged the coaching failures after the game. Kubiak said the team wasn't ready to play and described the performance as disappointing for both the players and the coaches.
Outlook
Going forward, the Raiders need to be better prepared and ready to make in-game adjustments. They will likely run a similar game plan going forward.
The Raiders needed quicker answers against the blitz and more effective protection adjustments. Las Vegas also needs to get receivers involved and push the ball downfield. I know Cousins doesn't have the strongest arm, but you still have to take shots, especially with the way these referees call pass interference.
The defense needs to improve tackling and get back to pressuring the quarterback to help the young secondary. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard needs to improve the pressure packages, coverage communication, and run fits before those weaknesses become an even bigger problem.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: What went wrong for Raiders in loss to Patriots: Observations, takeaways
