The Las Vegas Raiders have lost three straight games. Las Vegas faced the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday and lost to one of the league's best teams for a third consecutive week. The three teams the Raiders have lost to have a combined record of 14-3 after Week 5.
Conversely, the three teams the Raiders have beaten have a combined record of 2-15. Las Vegas' Week 6 loss only confirms they are somewhere in the middle of the two, and are likely not as bad as they looked against the New England Patriots in Week 5.
Below are the grades for every Raiders' position group based on Sunday's outing.
Quarterback
The Bills' defense intercepted Kirk Cousins' pass that was essentially thrown into double coverage. Then, the Bills' offense started their next drive at the Raiders' 32-yard line and scored a touchdown a few plays later. With the Raiders already down by three points, that swung the game.
Las Vegas' offense continues to stall out for long stretches, especially in the third quarter. This area specifically is where Cousins' familiarity with Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko should kick in more.
Scoring a flurry of points late after falling behind by double digits, in large part because of the offense's inability to score points for three and a half quarters, is fool's gold, not sustainable, and does not equate to wins, but it does make the game look closer than it may have actually been.
Still, Cousins is the best quarterback Las Vegas has had in years.
Grade: B
Running Back
The Raiders must keep mixing up the run calls, concepts, and designs. Ashton Jeanty continues to make an impact through the air and on the ground, but the Raiders need more from him, Las Vegas' other running backs, and the offensive line.
Grade: C
Fullback
Connor Heyward played well.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver
The unit looked better with Jalen Nailor on the field.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
Las Vegas' pass blocking was solid, for the most part, but the running lanes are simply not there.
Grade: B
Tight End
Las Vegas' tight ends continued to make their case as the league's best group. Michael Mayer registered seven catches for 95 yards. Brock Bowers finished with four catches for 70 yards. Both continue to give glimpses of what's possible when the Raiders add more pass-catchers.
Grade: A+
Defensive Line
Las Vegas' defensive line generated more pressure on Josh Allen than they did against Drake Maye last week. However, the unit also failed to bring Allen down several times when it could have, which led to extended plays against a shaky defensive backfield.
The Raiders' struggle to stop the run is also largely attributed to the defensive line.
Grade: C
Cornerback
Las Vegas' cornerbacks have struggled as expected through the first part of the season. With Las Vegas' primary focus on defense this week likely being eliminating big plays, their cornerbacks did about as well as they could.
Las Vegas' defense is still a work in progress, but the past three weeks have been valuable for the Raiders' young defensive backfield.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
With Las Vegas' defensive backfield shutting down big downfield passes, Nakobe Dean's presence was felt once again. Quay Walker had a solid performance overall, but the Raiders are still learning how to use him.
Las Vegas' inability to consistently stop the run with primarily their defensive line is often leaving Walker between a rock and a hard place.
Grade: B
Safety
The Raiders' defense gave up big plays through the air against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Patriots. Several of those big plays came against the safeties. The Raiders largely eliminated big plays against the Bills, which gave them a chance down the stretch.
Long term, Las Vegas needs additional help at safety and cornerback.
Grade: C+
Punter
AJ Cole averaged 55 yards per punt against the Bills.
Grade: A+
Kicker
After missing his first field goal of the season in Week 5, Gay registered another clean day of work. The veteran made all three field goal attempts and all three extra point attempts. Gay has been automatic.
Even his lone miss of the season hit the goal post in somewhat windy conditions.
Grade: A+
Kick Returner
After fumbling the ball in Weeks 4 and 5, Las Vegas simply getting through their kick return with possession is a win. However, as they move forward with their rebuild, finding dynamic returners could help expedite the process.
It is much easier to find two or three returners who can flip the field, if not score while returning kickoffs, than it is to revamp the rest of the roster.
Grade: B
Punt Returner
The Raiders did not log a punt return against the Bills. Through the season's first six games, Las Vegas has averaged just over 14 punt return yards per game. Overall, the Raiders' punt return unit has been nearly nonexistent.
Yet this may reflect the state of punt returns across today's league, rather than an issue unique to the Raiders.
Grade: N/A
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