Well, that was an ugly performance by the Las Vegas Raiders. The hype from the previous week disappeared as the Raiders got blown out by the Atlanta Falcons 43-6. It was a terrible performance all around, and this Raiders team has some soul searching to do.
The offense had its worst performance of the season, committing five turnovers. They looked flat from the opening snap and went three for 12 on third down, usually one of the best in football. They gave up five sacks and could not run the football at all. They finished with a terrible 4.18 yards per play against one of the league’s worst passing defenses.
The defense played reasonably well but added way too many penalties. The Raiders finished with 111 penalty yards on the day, and there were killers by the defense. They had few roughing the passer penalties plus a special team penalty that kept the drive alive, leading to a score. This game wasn’t on the defense, but they certainly didn’t help.
Who were the winners and losers from this week? Let’s take a look.
Winner: WR Hunter Renfrow
One player who showed up today for the offense, and it’s someone whose targets have fell while the season has gone on. Hunter Renfrow was the only bright spot on offense with one of his best performances of the season.
Renfrow finished with seven receptions for 73 yards on his 9 targets. He did an excellent job making players miss in the open field and displayed while he is a reliable player for the Raiders. While he did have a drop later on in the game, he overall put together a good day.
Renfrow deserves targets in this offense because of his ability to create yards after the catch. Gruden has to add a few more plays for the Raiders to look his way and get him the football. Hopefully, we see more of Renfrow going forward.
Winner: LB Nicholas Morrow
A player who continues to make the most of his opportunities of playing time has been Nicholas Morrow. He has put together a string of games to wonder if he can earn a starting spot on this team. Sunday was no different.
Morrow finished the game leading the Raiders with ten tackles and was all over the field. He had a big stop on third down, creating a tackle for loss late in the second quarter. Also, he finished with two pass deflections on the day, displaying his ability to help play against the pass and guard tight ends.
Morrow’s development is a great sight to see, and he, for sure, has the best year of his career. He for sure is making his mark on this team this season, and everyone should shine a light on his latest performances.
Loser: QB Derek Carr
Derek Carr was the hype of the week after his performance against the Chiefs. He went toe to toe with one of the best quarterbacks in the league was all over the media with serious praise. Well, he was humbled by the Falcons with for sure his worst performance of the season.
Carr had 4 turnovers on the day with three fumbles and a pick-six. He was inaccurate for most of the day and didn’t get help from his receivers. While he did face a lot of pressure from his offensive line, He didn’t make the plays out of structure we have seen recently this season. It was just ugly overall by the quarterback.
We have seen these games before from Carr and should be expected every year. Hopefully, he got the dud out of his system, and the Raiders can get back into the playoff race and finish the season strong. The next couple of weeks will be huge for Carr’s outlook on the season.
Loser: HC Jon Gruden
When a team has a performance like this, we can blame the team all we want, but it’s usually on the coach. The Raiders did not look prepared when they stepped onto the field, especially the offense. Gruden has to have this team ready to play football.
The playcalling early on made no sense, with the Raiders playing scared in the first quarter. The Falcons were all over Gruden’s plays, and we’re not giving his quarterback many options to go with the football. Gruden predictability has been an issue for years as teams figure him out by the end of the year, and we saw it rear its head Sunday.
Gruden has to find ways to be more creative or switch up looks with play calls. On the Raiders’ second time in the red zone, I was able to call out the play before it happened. If I can do that, then for sure you know NFL teams are ready for everything Gruden throws at them.
Loser: RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs season has been an interesting case of what actually makes a running back season great. Jacobs is on pace for double-digit touchdowns on the season but is only averaging 3.8 yards per carry on the year. It was another slow game for him Sunday, and he needs to get better down the stretch.
It started on the fourth and one on the game’s first drive, where Jacobs had a hole to the outside. He didn’t show burst to get there and tried to cut back, which led to a turnover on downs. We saw this the rest of the game where Jacobs just didn’t have the burst to see from him usually. He then finished it off with an ugly fumble to make the blowout even worse.
Jacobs might be hurt, and that would explain his performance. The Raiders need him down the stretch to help them sell these games. Jacobs has to get healthy, or they need to give Devonte Booker more looks in the run game if he can’t go. Let’s hope Jacobs bounces back next week.
