If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and cut my cable lines before the second half of the Las Vegas Raiders Week 4 matchup. It was incredibly horrible. Two fumbles, fourth-and-1 stuff, and a failed onside kick. That doesn’t even mention the defense, which turned Buffalo BIlls wide receiver Stefon Diggs and John Brown into the 2020 version of Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. Let’s get this over with.
The Raiders in One Sentence
“The Raiders were -2 in turnover differential in the fourth quarter.”
This Raiders team will never, NEVER, win a game losing the turnover differential in the fourth quarter. They can’t stop anybody and they can’t score fast. To win games losing the TO battle you must have the ability to do both of those. For the Raiders to win games, they have to play a clean game and Week 4 was anything but clean.
Name the Game
“Guenther’s Goodbye”
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther is as good as gone. He won’t be fired this week but make no mistake, he is gone. After this upcoming Week 5 showdown vs. the Chiefs, the Raiders have a bye week. There is absolutely no way Guenther survives the bye week, his defense sucks. The personnel isn’t good. However, a change has to come. With defensive line coach Rod Marinelli waiting in the wings, plus a defense that can’t hold a team under 30, Guenther is as good as gone.
Stat of the game
The Las Vegas leader in yards per catch for Week 4: Fullback Alec Ingold.
If your fullback is leading your team in yards per catch, something has gone wrong. If Carr wants to ditch the stigma of being “Captain Checkdown”, having a wide receiver lead the team in yards-per-reception would be a good place to start.
CarrFax
It’s the same story every single week. Carr put up a good stateline with a good QBR (89.8) and quarterback rating (107.3). However, the fumble problem persists. Another fumble loss plus a quick whistle saved him from another one. Carr didn’t do enough to win. And if this team doesn’t make the playoffs, he should be on the way out, no matter how good his stats look.
Good news for the Raiders
The Raiders continue to prove they can move the ball, even with the injury bug biting. Wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones have established themselves as reliable reserve receivers. Ruggs and Edwards both have a chance at returning in Week 5, allowing the playmakers to inch towards full strength.
And the bad news
The Raiders are 2-2 and heading to the chopping block, aka Kansas City.
Related: Raiders Couldn’t Keep Up With Bills In Week 4’s 30-23 Loss, Drop To 2-2
Random Thoughts
- The Raiders have to be leading the league in injury timeouts.
- Remember 10 days ago when they were 2-0 and everything was good.
- Tight end Forster Moreau doesn’t touch the ball or the field enough.
- Erik Harris provides a lot of wide receiver highlight reels.
- Josh Allen had to hold the ball and run around for 45 seconds for them to get a sack.
- Remember the Arden Key and Clelin Ferrell hype? How did that go?
- Tight end Darren Waller had the same amount of tackles as Crosby, Ferrell, and Key.
Apology of the Week
Dear Kolten Miller,
RaiderNation was too quick to condemn you. You’ve progressed quite nicely. Please stay healthy.
Thank you,
Holden
One Prediction for the Raiders Week 5 matchup
Derek Carr turns in his best performance at Arrowhead so far for his career. His struggles at Arrowhead are well noted. However, I see him going for 320 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Go Raiders.
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Top Photo: AP Photo/Isaac Brekken