Klint Kubiak is “very disappointed” after another Las Vegas Raiders loss. The coach of the Silver and Black has a clear message for his team as late-game struggles continue.
Kubiak left no room for moral victories Sunday after a 33-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the team’s third straight defeat.
Asked what the Raiders must improve, Kubiak was blunt. “Close. Games. Out,” he said, a message about finishing what his team starts. He also said he was “very disappointed” and that there are “no moral victories.”
Close, but no cigar for Kubiak & Co.
The Raiders took the Bills to the wire after a lifeless performance in New England last week, but they could not close the gap against one of the league’s most productive offenses.
Kubiak’s message matters because the Raiders keep reaching the same point in games without the result. They are now three games into a losing stretch, and the margin Sunday was a field goal. That puts the focus on situational football: third-down defense, late-game play calling and the depth that decides fourth quarters. Buffalo’s offense is built to punish any lapse, and the Raiders’ secondary, which leans on two rookies and three league-average veterans, was already under pressure after two weeks of getting beaten deep.
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The cap picture adds context. The Raiders have invested in veterans like Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby. They need those players to deliver in the moments that swing games. A competitive loss is a positive sign for a team still building its identity under Kubiak and general manager John Spytek. But a pattern of near misses eventually becomes the identity itself.
Expect Kubiak to keep the accountability message front and center this week. Practice time will be devoted to two-minute drills, red-zone execution and late-down defense. If the Raiders lose another one-score game, the conversation will shift from character to whether the roster has enough talent to finish.
Do you see this as a team on the verge of turning close losses into wins, or one that has to prove it can finish?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images