Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is only concerned with what he and his team can control. With regard to making the playoffs, the Raiders needed help to do so; even heading into Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that was the case. On Monday, McDaniels made it clear that using up energy on keeping track of outside factors is a waste. I mean, surely the Raiders were aware of their odds, right?
The odds of the Raiders making the playoffs stood as high as nearly 60 percent heading into Saturday. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter, and Raider Nation’s hopes were dashed yet again. It’s dangerous to cling to your dreams with this team. The roller coaster year that this team has taken their fans on under McDaniels has really been something. To go from a playoff team in 2021 to possibly selecting in the top 10 of next year’s NFL draft is quite the fall. Everyone understands that an NFL locker room must remain focused on the task at hand from week to week. Nonetheless, to dismiss the fact that everything had lined up in the Raiders’ favor going into the Steelers’ game is baffling. It just sounds like more of the robotic script that Raider Nation has come to expect under McDaniels.
The Raiders had the playoffs in their sights; maybe someone should’ve told Josh McDaniels.
While speaking to the media on Monday, McDaniels was quite forthright with what he expects from his team at this point.
“I mean, look, the frustration was with the result of the game that we didn’t do enough coaching or playing to win it. At this point, I think all the energy you spend doing that is unnecessary. I don’t know really what it helps us do or accomplish this week. So, like I said, we’re going to coach the game, correct things we can correct this week, and then move on to the next one and do everything we can to win this one. And then, like I said, we don’t control those other factors. The only thing we can control is ourselves and our performance, which there is plenty to fix.”
Coach McDaniels is certainly correct, especially on two fronts. The first one is that the Raiders can only control what’s in front of them, which is their execution. The second correct part is about how there is a lot that needs to be fixed. That’s an understatement considering all of the blown leads, blown assignments, and disappearing acts his offense continuously churns out. Maybe McDaniels is right; maybe the Raiders don’t have any business worrying about playoff scenarios.
However, in case you’re interested, the Raiders currently have a nine percent chance of still making the postseason.
