The Las Vegas Raiders are apparently looking forward to Week 12 after barely losing against the Kansas City Chiefs. In particular, safety Johnathan Abram’s fired up and just wants to get back out there.
It was a difficult loss to swallow for the Raiders defense last Sunday. While the Chiefs led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes scored, the defense had its moments. Even though the Raiders’ defense didn’t register, the unit was in Mahomes’ face thanks to defensive end Maxx Crosby. Clearly, Paul Guenther’s group was missing Clelin Ferrell, but the good news is that he might be back versus the Atlant Falcons. Part of playing in the NFL is being a professional, and that means you have to process a loss and move forward.
That sentiment might be easier said than done but Abram’s doing his best to move on. Recently, he spoke on the difficult loss and shared how frustrated he was. “Of course, everybody’s pissed off, it was a division game, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s one we all wanted, one we can’t get back. We look just look forward, we just have to go out this week and every week, make sure we do our part.” Abram reiterated that the Raiders going out and winning these coming games will hopefully mean they get another shot at the Chiefs later on.
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Covid Affected The Raiders But It’s No Excuse According To Abram
Reflecting on the lead up to the Chiefs, Abram did mention that the Covid protocols certainly affected the defense. By the same token, he clarified that it’s not an excuse as it’s something they’ve been dealing with all season long.
“…it’s nothing that we haven’t seen. I’ve been on the contact list three times. I’m no stranger to it myself. But we persevered through it. We felt we had a really great game plan. We just didn’t execute everything the way it needed to be done.”
Despite the altered practices and missing contributors, the defense was holding its own for the most part. After quarterback Derek Carr marched the Raiders down the field for a touchdown in the final minutes, things were looking up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as the defense quickly faltered to the Super Bowl champions. Abram mentioned a keyword in his presser and that’s execution.
The Falcons are no slouch, especially on offense, Abram and co. will need to be sure they’re all on the same page. Missed coverages and miscues will have to be alleviated because Matt Ryan will make them pay just as Mahomes did.
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*Top Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images