Bleacher Report Raiders: it has been a strange and disappointing turn of events for the Las Vegas Raiders these past few weeks. The Silver and Black have gone from a blossoming team to an undisciplined ensemble.
As much as fans might’ve enjoyed Josh Jacobs laying out Darqueze Dennard last Sunday, it was still a dumb penalty. Even more concerning was the attitude of Jacobs’ teammates, with many smiling or laughing at the matter. For a team trying to grow and ascend to a playoff contender, committing these types of penalties will be detrimental. Again, it was fun to see as a fan but it shows a lack of discipline and a disregard for player safety by leading like that into another player.
That’s only a minor lapse in the overall picture of what the Raiders are painting at the moment. At one point, Jon Gruden’s squad was playing clean and efficient football, impressing even the biggest detractors such as Colin Cowherd and galvanizing supporters like Rich Eisen. Fast forward to NFL Week 13 and it’s a different story for the Silver and Black.
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Bleacher Report Raiders: how bad is it?
Turnovers and penalties have been afflicting the Raiders these past few weeks. So much so, that even Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report believes that it’ll take more than just another win to prove anything.
Again, a #Raiders win next week won’t be enough to call it a bounce back for me.
— Maurice Moton (@MoeMoton) November 30, 2020
Everyone has beaten the #Jets this year. If the #Raiders win but they commit the same silly penalties and turn the ball over a bunch of times, I’d be concerned.
They have a lot to clean up.
Penalty-wise, the numbers have increased since Week 10 for the Raiders. Since then, the team has accumulated 27 penalties. A very troubling trend when you look at the sudden lack of discipline for this team. From Weeks 4 through 9, the team had committed 26 total penalties. Their worst and most wayward performance was last Sunday against the Falcons, where the team gave up 141 yards off of 11 penalties.
Not all is lost with the Silver and Black still in contention for a playoff spot. However, this issue will have to be remedied. Playing undisciplined football the way the Raiders have been playing won’t lead to much success in the postseason.Â
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*Top Photo: Associated Press/Brynn Anderson
