The Biggest Decision Klint Kubiak, Raiders Got Wrong vs. Patriots

The Las Vegas Raiders' Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots featured a long list of mistakes by Klint Kubiak's Raiders.

Best Decisions

This article is not to say that any one decision made by Kubiak, his staff, or players led to the loss. It takes a significant number of bad coaching decisions, poorly executed plays by the players, and solid play from the opposing team for a team to be down by 30 points in the NFL.

Pointing fingers gets us nowhere, but it is fair to acknowledge the blatant negatives of the Raiders' all-around disappointing performance against the Patriots. Las Vegas entered Week 5 without two receivers from an already questionable group. Yet, the Patriots were significantly shorthanded, too.

There was nothing more roster-wise that Kubiak and his staff could have done to put themselves in a better position to win Sunday's game, logistically. Considering how quickly things went south for the Raiders, it is fair to assume there was not much more they could have done play-calling-wise, either.

Goes Against Logic

I understand that resting your starting running back while 3-1, with a shot at going 4-1 against a solid Patriots team, may not make sense to some. It could be argued that sitting Ashton Jeanty entering Week 5 goes against all logic, which is fair. However, the Raiders' 3-0 start went against all logic, too.

It is also fair to note that Jeanty is too critical to an already limited passing attack for the Raiders. Sitting Jeanty while already missing Jack Bech and Jalen Nailor would have hurt Las Vegas' passing game even more.

The biggest mistake the Raiders' coaching staff made was not resting Jeanty and putting Roman Hemby on the field. Hemby is not the answer to the Raiders' struggles on the ground, but he could have helped in the short and long term on Sunday against the Patriots.

Las Vegas is in the middle of a four-game stretch that included games against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Patriots. The Raiders will now face the red-hot Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams. They cannot rest Jeanty during those two games. Sunday against the Patriots was the time to do so.

New England entered the game with more injuries and critical players out than the Raiders, and it was not close. The Patriots entered the game without four of their cornerbacks and multiple wide receivers. They then lost their starting tackle and starting running back before halftime.

Few teams the Raiders will face moving forward will be as injured as the Patriots were. That was the time to rest Jeanty. Doing so would have given him a light workload during the week leading up to the Patriots game, a game off his clearly sore ankles, and extra time off before two tough games.

After facing the Bills and Rams at home in consecutive weeks, the Raiders are on the road for two consecutive weeks. Again, I understand the reasons for not sitting Jeanty, but a significantly shorthanded Patriots team was the week to rest Jeanty.

Also, Hemby has a similar style of play to Jeanty. He isn't Jeanty, but the Raiders did not need him to be. As is, Hemby would have been serviceable enough to get them through what became nearly a 30-point loss anyway. Instead, the Raiders took a huge loss, and Jeanty added wear and tear to his body.

The Raiders don't have any other upcoming games where sitting Jeanty for an entire game makes sense. Their Bye Week is not until Week 13. The closest they can get is to activate Hemby moving forward and begin using Jeanty, Mike Washington, Dylan Laube, and Hemby on more of a rotation.

Jeanty being the team's workhorse is good in theory, but he is hurt. Theory goes out the window here. Las Vegas' coaching staff must start thinking outside the box, as they are another injury or two away from their depth chart getting to a very uncomfortable spot at multiple positions.

Soon, it will be time to begin rotating playing time throughout the secondary levels of the depth chart, in the name of development, and to keep their best players healthy as long as possible. This will require more attention to the latter part of this season and future seasons.

In other words, giving players further down the depth chart experience and letting their best players rest could soon matter more than wins and losses. Hemby was not going to help the Raiders beat the Patriots, but he could have given Jeanty a valuable Sunday off his ailing legs.