The Las Vegas Raiders' loss to the Buffalo Bills confirmed they can compete with the league's best teams. Few things make a three-game losing streak seem better than it is. However, Las Vegas' performance against Buffalo was more like what we have come to expect from them this season.
After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Las Vegas has lost three games in a row. Still, the Raiders' Week 6 loss to the Bills confirmed that their Week 5 outing against the New England Patriots was an anomaly. However, the Raiders are 3-3 after starting the season 3-0.
Risers
TE Michael Mayer
The Raiders have arguably the best tight end group in the league. With Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer leading the way, Las Vegas' coaching staff has maximized the unit's production by using their tight ends as an extension of their receiving corps.
Both Bowers and Mayer had productive outings against the Bills, finishing as the team's top two receivers. Both tight ends continue to help keep Las Vegas' offense afloat, while the unit continues to get healthy at wide receiver and running back. Mayer had a solid all-around day for Las Vegas.
DB Treydan Stukes
Stukes has had as rough a past two weeks as any player on the Raiders. Although he had a few more growing pains against the Bills, they were kept to a minimum, and for the most part, none of Stukes' mistakes against Buffalo were big plays, as in previous weeks.
Falling
Raiders' Blocking
The Raiders' offensive line rarely allows sacks, as in Week 6. However, that is often because Cousins getts the ball out of his hands in time. Even so, Cousins was pressured several times on Sunday, leading to stalled offensive drives.
Las Vegas' offense has roster-related deficiencies. Yet some of the unit's issues center around execution. The plays are there, but the players are not executing them well enough to beat the league's best teams. They execute well enough to compete.
Whether it is run blocking or pass blocking, the Raiders' offense is failing to do both well enough to win games against the top teams in the league. Many of Las Vegas' offensive issues stem from their offensive line.
It just doesn't look as bad as last season because the unit, despite its struggles, is better than it was then. Still, the blocking is an issue.
Offensive Play Calling To Start Second Half/Third Quarter Woes
The Raiders continue to struggle on their first offensive drives following halftime. They have yet to score points on that drive this season. The one time they did, the Chiefs committed a penalty; the Raiders took the field goal off the board and failed to convert on fourth down.
Their Week 6 loss to the Bills continued that trend, as Las Vegas' offense failed to score points on their first drive after halftime. The game was tied 13-13 entering the break; starting the second half with the ball gave Las Vegas a chance to gain momentum in front of their home crowd.
Instead, they punted the ball back to the Bills, giving the Bills' offense chances to score points. The Raiders have scored three points or fewer in the third quarter of their three consecutive losses. They scored zero points in the third quarter twice. Those two games were against Allen and Mahomes.
It is time to sound the alarm. This Raiders' offense struggles to score points in the third quarter after teams make adjustments. This issue has contributed to three losses against elite teams.
Complementary Football
Sunday's loss to the Bills confirmed that last Sunday's loss to the Patriots was not who they are. However, against the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas failed to start playing well on either side of the ball until they were down by double digits to Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
Las Vegas battled back from double-digit deficits against the Chiefs and Bills, making the game seem closer than it actually was. The Raiders found themselves chasing points against two of the league's most high-powered offenses. That is a bad position for any team to be in.
Add us as a preferred source on Google