This time last week, the Raiders were flying high with playoff expectations on the line. They went into MetLife thinking just about the Chiefs and not the Jets, which severally hampered any chances they had to win the game. This type of mindset can cause players and fans alike to consider quitting, something Oakland can’t afford at this point.
The Loss To The Jets
Today, this team is at its lowest point since losing to the Vikings earlier this year. Derek Carr said via Vic Tafur of the Athletic that “we got our face kicked in a little bit … Hopefully it wakes everyone up “. The Raiders may’ve expected to come into New Meadowlands and steamroll the Jets, but the complete opposite happened.
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New York was prepared to upset Oakland and prove that nobody can just walk on their team. The Jets are what the Raiders were earlier this year, the team no one expected to achieve anything. They had fight and a don’t give a damn attitude that helped them do to Oakland what head coach and Jon Gruden and the team did to the Bears in London.
Raiders Can’t Quit After This
As a team, the Raiders can’t give up just yet as they are in the middle of the playoffs race. They must not go in to any of their next five games willing to lay down feel defeated. If they don’t go into these matches ready to punch these teams in the face from the start, they won’t be able to build the culture they crave for the future. They need to show resilience in the face of defeat, show they aren’t quitters and finally show to players and staff that this team doesn’t lay down.
This Team is Built for the Long Haul
Despite the negativity after this loss, the Raiders have far pasted everyone’s expectations this season. As an example, Bleacher Report had the Raiders only winning 5 games and that was before losing disgraced wide receiver Antonio Brown. This is a team without a true number one receiver, a serviceable coverage linebacker and saw their two starting safeties at the beginning of the season go down.
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They are sitting at 6-5, with wins over the Bears and the Colts in games they were expected to lose. Oakland has shown that if anything, they are willing to fight back against what everyone says and play against most teams in the NFL.