A lot is hinging on these on these final four games. Truthfully speaking, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels could have two possible roads in front of him. One is where the Raiders win out, get the necessary help from other teams, and after everything that’s taken place, they sneak into the playoffs. Or, second, McDaniels possibly loses the locker room. According to one insider, it might already be trending toward the latter.
Paul Gutierrez is a reliable source when it comes to all things related to the Raiders. While speaking on the team’s radio station, Gutierrez dropped some interesting tidbits. They were related to the team’s overall mood and spirit following the crushing loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Let’s be honest here; it was a game that the Raiders should’ve won by all accounts.
“I was right there in the runnel when the Raiders came in and just to see the looks on their faces. You got to be respectful, but it was also one of those things that going into that locker room, there was a sense of finality in that locker room that I had not sensed all year long and definitely didn’t feel it last year.”
If folks will recall, the Raiders were seen as dead in the water following the Jon Gruden debacle and the tragedy involving Henry Ruggs III. However, the 2021 Raiders rallied behind Rich Bisaccia. If what Gutierrez says rings true, it doesn’t bode well for the Raiders’ playoff hopes. Does this team still believe in itself? More importantly, do they believe McDaniels is the one to lead them out of the darkness? An interim head coach in Bisaccia was able to do so.
Are the Las Vegas Raiders “just done?”
“[It] was kind of like they were just done,” Gutierrez said. “Nobody really talked. One of my Sportscenter hits I said, ‘If you were to say the locker room was quiet, that would be doing silence a disservice’ because it was that quiet in there.” Sometimes, silence is truly deafening. That appears to be the case here for the Raiders. Have they checked out following the loss to the Rams? Gutierrez also pointed out that the team’s two leaders, Derek Carr and Davante Adams, made early exits, especially Adams, who didn’t stick around for the media.
In all likelihood, that was all frustration rearing its ugly head. There are still four games left, and these Raiders players surely know that not only is a playoff spot on the line but that some of their jobs could also be affected after this season.
*Top Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports