Silver And Black Pride
Lackadaisical Las Vegas leveled in 34-19 loss
The offense made baby steps towards improvement. The defense, meanwhile, is going backwards.
That was the high-level tale of the tape for the Las Vegas Raiders in a 34-19 thumping handed to them by the host Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
The defeat marks the sixth-straight for the Silver & Black and represents the longest losing streak in the NFL today (the New York Giants are close at five straight games lost) and plants the Raiders firmly in the AFC West cellar with a 2-8 overall record.
Like many other teams, the Dolphins used the matchup against the Raiders to remedy the woes that plagued them — namely offense.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdowns as he spread the ball around and fleet-footed running back De’Von Achane carved up Las Vegas’ defense to the tune of 73 yards and a touchdown.
Sure, we can point to injuries eroding the Raiders defense, but the way the unit is getting used and abused by the opposition goes beyond lack of depth. It’s either poor coaching, poor player retention, or a combo of both. Because no matter who is out there — starters or backups — the communication issues and breakdowns have resulted in comical errors. Like the 57-yard touchdown Tagovailoa threw to tight end Jonnu Smith — who was left wide open.
In total, Miami produced 353 yards of total offense and finished an excellent three-for-four in red zone trips where the drives culminated in touchdowns versus short field goals. And the group commanded the time of possession having the ball for 33:12 compared to the Las Vegas’ 26:48.
“We’ve got to be (able to figure it out),” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said in the postgame press conference. “When new guys come in, we’ve just got to keep talking. Overcommunicating is what we talk about when you get a younger guy in there or somebody who hasn’t gotten a lot of reps. It’s no excuse, but we’ve got to keep communicating. We knew they were going to motion or shift on every play.”
Knowing before hand is one thing. Actually doing something about it is a treacherous mountain to climb and unfortunately for Pierce and his Raiders, they’ve fallen off the cliff with no safety harness.
“You can always make excuses and point to other things, but it’s just about details,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said after the game. “We’re just playing for pride at this point.”
On the bright side, communication was much better on the offensive side of the ball. Interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner and his father Norv (who is a senior advisor) breathed life into the Raiders’ passing game that produced 282 yards and two touchdowns.
And I’m pretty sure Pierce is going to be saying “we need players to have Brock Bowers energy”, a phrase he used repeatedly when it came to the vibe Crosby brings to the team on a daily basis. The resolute rookie tight...
