The Las Vegas Raiders finally won a game! It took four weeks, but it came in front of the faithful Raider Nation. They defeated the Denver Broncos 32-23, largely due to a career night from running back Josh Jacobs.
Despite the win, there are still a couple of things the Raiders have to clean up going forward.
The Las Vegas Raiders are still getting beat deep down the field.
The Broncos’ offense was really non-existent besides a few key plays. During the first quarter, the Raiders sent a blitz and didn’t get home, leaving Raiders’ cornerback Amik Robertson one-on-one with Bronco wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy beat Robertson for 32 yards, which led to Bronco points.
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders had the Broncos on first and long, and with a stop they could’ve iced the game. But instead, they let Bronco receiver KJ Hamler streak down the field, and Russell Wilson connected with him for a 55-yard gain. This big play also led to a Wilson rushing touchdown.
Plays like this aren’t acceptable, especially against better teams. Not to give the Raiders an excuse, but they were without cornerbacks Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett. Patrick Graham has to get these guys on track because Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are their next opponents.
A way to fix this is to get your guys back but also not lose sight of these “speed” guys in coverage. Safety Duron Harmon has played well but putting him in deep ball situations isn’t ideal as he has lost some foot speed.
The red zone woes continue for this team.
Well, the Raiders’ red zone offense was once again an issue. There is no creativity down there and opposing teams have realized that. They were lucky Jacobs was able to score on two of those possessions. If not, things would have gotten ugly.
They settled for four field goals instead of capitalizing on touchdowns. This has been a recurring issue for the Raiders, and many people thought coach Josh McDaniels would help fix it. Four weeks into the season, McDaniels’ scoring efficiency has been horrible.
Scoring field goals and not touchdowns isn’t going to cut it anymore. It might have worked against a lackluster Broncos offense, but against the Chiefs, it won’t be enough. They have to be able to capitalize whenever they are in the red zone and score seven instead of just settling for three points.
*Top Photo: Official Raiders YouTube Channel
