Stick a fork in the 2024 Las Vegas Raiders because they are done. The Week 6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was the final dagger for this season.
It was the same old Raiders story that fans should be used to by now. Any big plays the team had were wiped out by badly timed penalties. Turnovers at the most critical moments plagued the team all day long. Costly coaching decisions by rookie head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy also ruined the team’s chances of winning on Sunday.
The Bullies Got Bullied by Pittsburgh
Before the season, Pierce stated his vision for the Las Vegas Raiders was “ill intent, violence, physicality.” No defense in the NFL has missed more tackles than the Raiders defense. They added to that stat as Najee Harris looked like prime Jerome “The Bus” Bettis. Harris also juked out cornerback Jack Jones, who then took to Twitter after the game and fought with “Raider Nation” instead of making tackles.
There has been no physicality from this Las Vegas Raiders squad. Instead of bullying teams, they’re the ones getting pushed around. A projected top-10 defense has regressed due to injuries as well as blown assignments. The offense is as horrific to watch as expected. This is a team that needs to play perfectly to have a chance to win, and they aren’t playing perfectly. As a result, they’re just a bad overall team.
Too Many Unforced Errors
It’s the same old story. The Raiders beat themselves as much as the Steelers did. If Pittsburgh had lined up and just stood there without doing much, it’s possible Las Vegas still would’ve found a way to lose much like in their game last season. Two critical fumbles by Dylan Laube and Amir Abdullah in addition to an Aidan O’Connell interception made victory difficult. The penalties made victory unobtainable.
The Las Vegas Raiders were only penalized four times. The four penalties wiped away a touchdown, an interception, a third down stop, and a momentum-changing one-handed catch by Brock Bowers. All of those mistakes led to the Steelers putting up points. The Steelers’ offense found life thanks to the mistakes. It’s no wonder why Maxx Crosby ended up shoving a coach. Crosby later called it a “love tap.”
Coaches Got Taken To School
Pierce and Getsy have had brutal moments all season long and Sunday had quite a few of them. Abdullah’s fumble was preceded by a run where he appeared to score but was ruled one yard short. Instead of challenging, Pierce had the team no-huddle and run the same play again. Getsy’s playcalling on Sunday saw the team run the ball up the middle on a 1st and 20 2nd and 19 situation, as well as a 3rd and 10.
A strong first drive that saw running back Alexander Mattison heavily featured was followed up by Mattison barely touching the ball until several drives later. Abdullah got the majority of the snaps over Mattison. Third-string tight end Harrison Bryant was somehow third in targets. Tre Tucker didn’t get a single reception. The game plan made no sense and the Steelers defense looked like the “Steel Curtain.”
Conclusion
Pierce’s response to Sunday’s gaffe was that the team was “We’re not coaching well enough. We’re not playing well enough. We’re not detailing well enough.” Given the constant drama with Davante Adams as well as the way the team is built, the Las Vegas Raiders might be headed for a rebuild. Sunday showed that “AOC” isn’t the answer at quarterback, and Gardner Minshew isn’t either.
It’s never good to encourage a team to tank and I will not be doing so. But the Las Vegas Raiders need to do some serious soul-searching. Their next game is in Los Angeles against the Rams. They haven’t won in Los Angeles since 2020 in a regular season game. After that, they return to play the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are coming for revenge. It’s likely the Raiders will be 2-6 after the next two games.
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