The trend of national media overlooking and, at times, disrespecting the Las Vegas Raiders continued on ESPN as former NFL coach Rex Ryan weighed in.
The Las Vegas Raiders and their quarterback, Derek Carr, won one of the most important games in recent memory. This is important because the Kansas City Chiefs, simply put, have owned the Raiders. This holds true in Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s tenure, prior to Sunday’s win, the Raiders had dropped 14 of 16 games to him.
It seemed everything came together for the Silver and Black, and at Arrowhead Stadium no less. The deep passing was a refreshing sight to behold with Henry Ruggs III and Nelson Agholor coming up huge. Running back Josh Jacobs got it going in the endzone as well, notching two rushing touchdowns. Most important was the pressure generated by the Raiders, in particular, by Clelin Ferell and Maxx Crosby. In spite of the Raiders playing their best game of 2020, some simply won’t give the team its due.
Related: Las Vegas DE Maxx Crosby Helps Lead Defense in 42-32 Win
Rex Ryan Weighed In On Raiders and Chiefs
On ESPN’s First Take, Ryan, who last coached in 2016 for the Buffalo Bills, attributed the win to the Chiefs’ shortcomings among other things. In particular, he recognized that Las Vegas was able to establish the run and ran it down the Chiefs’ throats.Â
“It’s crazy, if you’re going to beat [them] you got to be able to pound the football and that’s what the Raiders did.”
Ryan also praised wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who made a huge catch in the fourth quarter as the team was trying to build its lead. At that point, the Raiders were only up 30-24 which as everyone is not much when facing the Chiefs.
“Hunter Renfrow all he does is make big plays in big moments.”
Praise aside, Ryan believes the Chiefs’ “vulnerability” led to their downfall. He pointed out that the Chiefs were lucky to beat the Chargers earlier this season. Likewise, the victory against the New England Patriots was against a backup quarterback, so there was not much to judge there. Also, Ryan added, “defense isn’t as good as it was at the end of last year, and it makes them vulnerable.”
The Chiefs had struggled defensively prior to Sunday’s matchup as Ryan pointed out. This does not mean the Raiders’ win should be devalued because of this. Is it not the job of any coaching staff to study film and look for any exploitable holes? Maybe a win against the NFL’s golden boy, Tom Brady, in two weeks might convince national media to show the Raiders more love.
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*Top Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press