Raiders Fail Versus Chicago, 20-9

When the Las Vegas Raiders left the field, they lost not only a regular-season game, but a sense of self. After carving out a definitive identity during the second Gruden tenure, the last two weeks opened up more questions than answers. By dropping Sunday’s game to the Bears, 20-9, the Raiders fall to 3-2. More importantly, this team, if they possess postseason aspirations, need to fix what ails them, in a hurry.

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Another Backward Step

After the Charger loss, many wanted to absolve Derek Carr’s performance as an anomaly and not regression. Under those circumstances, yesterday’s game should concern many. Carr threw short of the sticks on third down. In addition, he missed open targets vertically and did not consistently throw the ball confidently. With the exception of a twenty-nine-yard strike to Henry Ruggs, Carr lacked his newly-found crispness. Granted, the offensive line did not afford him buckets of time. However, the flaws on the line were obvious, so blame for this loss falls upon his shoulders, to a degree.

The Leaky Line

As mentioned, to the point of frustrating nausea, the offensive line remains a mess. Kicking Alex Leatherwood inside did not help the situation. Andre James continued to serve as a disappointing replacement for Rodney Hudson. The line knew that Khalil Mack would be a nightmare and they could not stop him. Mack terrorized his former team, getting home seemingly at will. Once upon a time, the Raiders enjoyed a line that could actually block.

Undisciplined Approach

To his credit, Yannick Ngakoue tallied his first two sacks of the season. He looked crisp, screaming off the edge, disrupting the Chicago passing game. On the other hand, his undisciplined penalty prolonged a Bears drive, ultimately leading to a touchdown. As a captain, the Raiders need Ngakoue must focus on playing as intelligently as possible.

Meaning

The defense, led by Gus Bradley, performed well, despite logging 32:02 in field time. The defense only surrendered twenty points, forcing five points. Additionally, the defense allowed 109 passing yards. The blame for this game rests with the offense. From the playcalling to the execution, the offense’s failure lost this game. Playing from behind each week wears on teams. The Raiders, going forward must establish a lead and keep it. Heroics eventually run out. Good teams don’t depend on them.