The Las Vegas Raiders stumbled again against the Indianapolis Colts with a 44-27 loss at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders have now lost 3 out of 4 after winning three in a row and have fallen to 7-6. They will need help to make the playoffs.
The offense is still feeling the turnover bug committing another three on Sunday. The Raiders were able to move the ball up and down the Colts field but could not finish drives. In the red zone, they turned the ball over and settled for two field goals keeping them from staying in the football game. The Raiders’ offense didn’t have a bad game, but they for sure could have done more to keep the porous defense off the field.
The defense added another ugly performance on the year and still can’t stop the run. They gave up 456 total yards, but the kicker was the 212 yards rushing. This was the second week in a row that the Raiders gave up over 200 yards rushing. The Colts ran all over the Raiders defense on the strong side and the weak side; it did not matter. Raiders have to clean this up before next week.
Who were the winners and losers for Week 14? Let us take a look.
Winner: WR Nelson Agholor
It’s been a great year for Agholor, who was not brought back by the Eagles after his five years with the team. He has become the number one wide receiver for the Raiders and added a stellar performance against the Colts.
Agholor finished the game with 5 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. He leads the team in touchdowns with seven on the year and continues to be Derek Carr’s favorite target when he is looking to throw deep. Carr found him on a nice out and up against cover two. He then found him on the seam route for the touchdown
The former first-round pick continues to play his way into a new contract with the Raiders. He is their best free-agent signing by far and has kept a couple of the young receivers off the field. It has been well earned, and Raiders fans can only hope he continues to grow.
Winner: LB Nicholas Morrow
After a tough game against the Jets, the Morrow had a bounce-back performance against the Colts. Morrow has made the most of his opportunities and has slowly stolen snaps away from Cory Littleton. He displayed why on Sunday Afternoon.
Morrow finished the game with five tackles but was all over the field making plays. He added two pass deflections, with one stopping a touchdown on a pick play that would have been a walk end touchdown. He has played well in coverage since there has been a rise in his snap count, and he is probably one of the best defenders on the Raiders right now.
The young linebackers’ confidence has to be sky high, and hopefully, he is healthy for Thursday. His injury late might be a concern, but he is impactful for this defense with many holes if he can come. Raiders will need Morrow to help them finish the season strong.
Loser: DC Paul Guenther
Raider Nation rejoiced when the news broke out after a terrible performance on Sunday by the defense. Paul Guenther was let go after the game following another dismal performance where they couldn’t stop a nose bleed. It was a long time coming and definitely deserved.
Guenter defense gave up 200 yards rushing for the second week in a row. The league has figured out Guenther’s scheme and started to put the plays out of position based on teams changing up their alignment. Teams would motion and put Lamarcus Joyner in as linebacker, and teams would feast in the run game. It was time for a change, but it could be too little too late.
The Raiders are now in the search for a new coordinator to lead the defense. For now, it will be Rod Marinelli, who was a decent defensive coordinator while he was working in Dallas but still wasn’t known for his run defense. However, The Raiders needed a change and finally made the right decision for the football team.
Loser: SS Johnathan Abram
Johnathan Abram finds himself on the losers list after another bad performance against the Colts. Abram has been a fine machine this season, appealing an $80K fine this past week. Well, let’s say this week, he might have made it worse and added onto it.
Abram was reckless once again as he helped keep a Colts drive going with a bad personal foul penalty that led to a first down. It was a totally uncalled for play and led to a Colts score a couple of plays later. After the Raiders took the lead in the second, he was singled up on TY Hilton and had no shot as he was burned for a deep touchdown.
The Raiders need their first-round pick from 2019 to perform at a better level than what we see right now. He is almost a liability on the field and doesn’t help in the run or pass game at this time. The Raiders will be searching for safety help in the offseason if Abram can’t turn it around the last couple of weeks.
Loser: RB Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs has been up and down this season and not displayed the same player last year. He has been below 4 yards per carry the whole season and has dealt with many injuries. The game against the Colts displayed nothing different from what we have seen this season, with the running game not getting going.
Jacobs made scare before the game trolling fans on Instagram with a post saying he is not playing. It seemed that way on the field where he struggled to make people miss even though he didn’t have much help from his line. He added a drop in the passing game but looked better there in the open field than as a runner. The injuries are starting to take a toll on the back.
The Raiders might have to add another back in the draft early with the injuries Jacobs has been displaying at the end of the season. If he can’t get it together, it will be good to have a quality backup who could admirably fill in the role and help this team win when Jacobs goes down. Right now, what Jacobs is putting on the field is not getting it done.
