The Las Vegas Raiders had high expectations for the 2022 season after finishing 10-7 last year and earning a spot in the playoffs. The team traded its top two draft picks for wide receiver Davante Adams and added four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Chandler Jones to the defense.
The result has been a disappointing 2-5 start to the season. Jones has just 0.5 sacks through seven games and, while Adams has five touchdown grabs, it hasn’t been enough to make up for the NFL’s 25th ranked defense.
So what went wrong for Las Vegas? Fortunately, we got Marcus Mosher from Raiders Wire to help better understand the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 9 opponent:
What is different about the Raiders now that Josh McDaniels is at the wheel?
Despite the 24-0 shutout last week, the offense is better. The Raiders are really running the ball well and it’s because of some smart things McDaniels is doing on that side of the ball. They aren’t taking quite as many shots down the field as they did with Jon Gruden, but this is still a really tough offensive to defend even without a horrible offensive line.
The Raiders defense has so few takeaways. Is that bad luck or is the team struggling to generate chances?
It’s some bad luck, but it’s mostly just due to a lack of talent. Their best cornerback (Nate Hobbs) broke his hand against the Chiefs and is on the injured reserve list. The linebackers don’t make many plays and Johnathan Abram is one of the worst safeties in coverage in the league. The only chance to create turnovers are off sacks and the Raiders just don’t get to the quarterback often enough for that to happen. Other than that, things are going GREAT on defense.
Should the Jaguars be more worried about Davante Adams or Josh Jacobs?
The answer is both. Davante Adams did not play well last week as he was battling the flu. He really never practiced and even was limited this Wednesday after not feeling well. But when he is healthy, he is still among the most dangerous receivers in the league. And if teams decide to double him or play Cover-2, that’s when Jacobs can feast. The Raiders have a ton of talent on offense. They just need to stay playing to that level.
Was last week's shutout loss an outlier performance or a sign of serious offensive disfunction?
Adams being sick had a major part to do with that and they were also without Darren Waller, who should be back this week. The problem was the offensive line that just couldn’t protect Derek Carr. They are usually able to overcome their bad offensive line, but they were just so severely outmatched in that contest in the trenches.
Who wins and why?
The Raiders should win this game as they are the more talented team. They also have a ton of veterans on both sides of the ball. However, something feels a bit off with this team. Don’t be surprised if this is a very close game that comes down to the last possession. I’m feeling a bit of an upset here, so I’ll take the Jaguars 23-21 at home.
