The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off a 45-17 beatdown from the New England Patriots on Oct. 11 at Gillette Stadium as the Silver and Black have now two straight games after their 3-0 start. One key to the Patriots’ win over the Raiders was keeping Maxx Crosby quiet.
Crosby had one tackle and zero sacks in the game, and New England kept Drake Maye clear for the most part, only giving up one sack the entire game. After the Patriots’ win, head coach Mike Vrabel shared that his offensive unit didn’t allow the Raiders’ veteran edge rusher to be a factor.
“I’m just proud of our offensive line, and I want to recognize them,” Vrabel told reporters postgame on Oct. 11. “I thought that they understood what the protection was and how to keep the middle of the pocket clean. There was a lot of time for us to progress down the field.
“[The Raiders] run blitz zero, and we blocked it up and were able to hit some plays down the field. That’s a testament to them understanding what they have to be able to do. Guys stepped up. Caleb [Lomu] had to go in there, and everybody, we had all hands on deck.”
Mike Vrabel on Limiting Raiders Offense to 17 Points
Moreover, Vrabel gave credit to his entire coaching staff and team for overcoming the Patriots’ injuries this week to limit the Raiders’ offense to 17 points, 38 rushing yards, and three sacks.
“I think all the credit goes to the players,” Vrabel added. “Josh [McDaniels], Zak Kuhr, and Jeremy [Springer] do a fantastic job. I think our coaches are great. They understand the game plan and try to get their players ready, but ultimately, that’s what they expect. That’s what they expect of themselves.
“The credit goes to the players for being able to go out and put up a bunch of yards, get short-yardage stops or get their down stops, understand how to handle sudden changes, get their guys ready, manage a lot of moving parts, go hurry-up, and, throughout most of the fourth quarter, get other guys into different spots. They expect that. They have high expectations of themselves as coaches, and I’m lucky to be able to have them.”
Las Vegas’ Outlook for Week 6 Against Bills
As for the Raiders, they’ll need to go back to the drawing board, as they have another challenging opponent in Week 6 when they’ll face the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 18. Nonetheless, this game is at Allegiant Stadium, so the Silver and Black will have the home crowd behind them.
Moreover, the Raiders could potentially face a Bills team that is on a two-game losing streak of their own, as Buffalo lost in Week 4 and will face the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 12 on “Monday Night Football.”
Regardless, Las Vegas has a challenging task ahead next weekend if they want to avoid falling to 3-3 and extending their losing streak to three games. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders can have a better showing next weekend and not repeat this blowout performance.
Mike Vrabel Gets Candid on Patriots Stopping Raiders’ Maxx Crosby