Give Bisaccia The Job And Other Raiders' Knee Jerk Reactions

The Las Vegas Raiders won! Somehow, some way, this Raiders team is going to the playoffs.

That Game was a Microcosm of the Season

That was the most “Raiders” game yet. The team looked great to start the game, but still clung to a slim lead at halftime. They then expanded the lead to two scores and things started to feel comfortable. Almost immediately, that feeling disappeared, and the game was once again tied. Then we had a weird overtime, which ultimately ended with Daniel Carlson saving the day again with his golden leg. Sound familiar?

This team has been so frustrating at times this year, but it’s been an exciting ride. I cannot believe they are in the playoffs, even though they are certainly a playoff caliber team. This team has the talent to compete with anyone, but their penchant for self-sabotage could be their undoing.

The Offensive Line is a Cancer

It is so bad. Brandon Parker is comically terrible. How are there no better options? They couldn’t find anyone better on the waiver wire all year? His best ability is that he is literally a large obstacle for defenders to get around. A large, talentless obstacle.

Alex Leatherwood is a better guard than he was a tackle. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he was arguably a worse tackle than Parker. He is still a long way away from becoming a quality guard.

John Simpson is simply not a starter. Not on a playoff team, at least. He is a stopgap player who is too flawed to be relied upon for long stretches of games.

Andre James has improved significantly over the course of the season. He is still not good enough to make up for the poor guard play.

The one spot that’s at least consistently solid is left tackle. But even Kolton Miller has his limitations. He is a top-15 left tackle in the league, but guys like that need help against the league’s premier edge rushers. He can’t get help when the rest of the line is struggling so much.

This situation is killing the Raiders. That game should have been a blowout, but the offense couldn’t do anything in the redzone. The offensive line is a huge part of that problem. Their inability to get any push makes the run game almost completely ineffective around the goal line. This forces the offense to pass. Passing is more difficult in a condensed field around the goal line. The quarterback and receivers need time to find an opening in the defense. The offensive line can’t hold up in pass protection for that long. They need to be better, or they could sink this team.