Getty Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Much was made about the Las Vegas Raiders‘ receiver trio of Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow this offseason. Through three games, the team’s best receiver has been none of the three. Mack Hollins leads the team with 240 receiving yards after a career-best 158 receiving yards in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans.
While Hollins makes for a great story, his success hasn’t led to wins. The Raiders are 0-3 and appear to be a sinking ship. After an incredible debut against the Los Angeles Chargers where he caught 10 passes for 141 yards, Adams has been quiet through the last two games – catching a combined seven passes for 48 yards. That wouldn’t be such a notable deal if the Raiders were winning but they aren’t.
Adams was brutally honest about how he felt after the team’s loss to the Titans.
“I am frustrated and angry,” Adams said Sunday. “I expect more. It’s not easy to win in this league, we know that … but we expect more and we’ll do it better as we move forward. … We can’t be flat early.”
Opposing teams are trying to take Adams out of games and it’s working. Waller was supposed to make defenses pay when they put too much focus on the wide receiver but that hasn’t been the case. He had a bad Week 3 that saw him drop a couple of big passes.
Adams Isn’t Used to Losing
Adams has every right to be upset. He left a Green Bay Packers team that has lost a combined 10 games over the last three seasons. His former team is also off to a 2-1 start without him. That’s only going to add insult to injury. Derek Carr and Adams were supposed to dominate the NFL but that hasn’t come close to being true.
Now, it may be unfair to have expected so much from a duo that hasn’t played together in almost a decade under a new head coach but they need to figure things out soon. Many are ready to proclaim the Raiders’ playoff dreams dead but crazier things have happened in the NFL. Just last year, not many would’ve thought the team couldn’t make the playoffs after falling to 6-7 in Week 14. That said, the Raiders need to figure out things quickly.
Carr Urges Team to Get Better Now
The Raiders will now be looking to become just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to start 0-3 and make the playoffs. The odds are not in their favor but they can’t give up on the season yet. Carr believes the Raiders need to be better all around, especially in practice.
“We have to do better. And, if we’re not, we’re going to have a sucky feeling after every game,” Carr said after the game. “You try your best to do it the right way in practice. And, if you don’t do it right in practice, you can’t expect it to go right in the game. We gotta look at that and, each man as an individual, say, ‘OK, I gotta be better at this, this and this.’”
The Raiders are running out of time if they hope to salvage the season and push for the playoffs. Carr is well-aware of that and believes there is a sense of urgency within the team.
“It’s not the end of the world but, at the same time, there’s an urgency,” Carr said. “It’s not like we’re on OTAs and you’re like, ‘Oh, well, we’ll get it right eventually.’
“We gotta get it right now.”