The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason was the first of many that will see several players come and go, as the Raiders' front office continues to rebuild. Over the past two offseasons, Las Vegas' front office has invested cap space and premium draft picks in revamping its roster.
Las Vegas' 3-3 start to the season shows where they are in that process. They have shown they are no longer the worst collection of talent that was worthy of the top pick in this year's NFL Draft. However, they are just getting started and still have a long way to go.
Raiders' Identity Gradually Revealing Itself
The season's first three games confirmed what the Raiders can be when they play well on both sides of the ball. Their loss to the New England Patriots offered a glimpse of what they are when everything goes wrong. Then, there are the other two games Las Vegas has lost this season.
Against both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas lost close games. In both games, Las Vegas' offense fell flat at critical moments, then battled back after it was too late to beat either team. Both factors matter when analyzing where they stand.
Against the Chiefs, the Raiders scored 13 points through three quarters, including zero in the third quarter. They scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, more than the first three quarters combined. A similar trend has continued during their three losses.
Against the Bills, Las Vegas scored 13 points through three quarters, including zero in the third quarter. They scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. The trend essentially held even against the Patriots, when the Raiders scored 10 points through three quarters and seven in the fourth.
During their three-game losing streak, the Raiders trailed by double digits in each of those fourth quarters. Then, the unit exploded for more points, or nearly as many points as they had in the first three quarters combined. That is not an accident.
All three teams tried to stop the Raiders from scoring, yet Las Vegas kept pushing the ball downfield in ways they had barely tried in the first three quarters, even as they fell behind by double digits. Kubiak was encouraged by the success the unit had in moving the ball late against the Bills.
“I do. Obviously, any time you can make that part of your offense, it's going to make the whole team successful. But I really love his decision-making, and it's not something you just go throw it up in the air and hope something good happens,” Kubiak said before Wednesday’s practice.
“You got to get the right look with the right guy running the route. But for us to be successful, I think that's part of a formula that we can use. But you got to read the defense, that's the most important thing.”
What Raiders' Two Close Losses Prove
A loss is a loss, and the Raiders have lost three straight. There are no moral victories, but the Raiders can take something from all three losses, especially the two close ones. Both the Chiefs and the Bills are likely to make deep playoff runs, and either could go to the Super Bowl.
Yet the rebuilding Raiders just went toe-to-toe with both, while missing several starters. This should make it easy for Kubiak and his coaching staff to keep the team locked in through a tough losing streak. Frustration naturally comes with a streak like that, but it can be productive.
What Raiders' Offense Needs Most
Specifically, the Raiders' losses to two of the league's top teams confirmed the need for more pieces, but they largely have the tools to beat those teams eventually. The Raiders have the building blocks for the future. They just need to get those pieces.
Realistically, those pieces won't arrive until the offseason. The Raiders can compete and win right now, but their offense has to play the entire game as it does in the fourth quarter. As shown during their three-game winning streak, doing so would help their defense with some issues they have had.
The Raiders need more pieces to compete consistently and beat the elite teams in the future. However, if they clean up a few things on their end, they could be there sooner than many may think.
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