Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders went 4-0 in games that went to overtime. That success did not carry over to the 2022 season. Despite having a 20-0 lead at halftime against the Arizona Cardinals, the team lost 29-23 in overtime. It was one of the worst losses the team has ever had and they are now 0-2 to start the season.
The Raiders were met with a lot of pushback by fans when they hired Josh McDaniels as head coach. The longtime New England Patriots offensive coordinator previously failed as the head coach of the Denver Broncos and didn’t even finish his second season with the team. He was able to win fans over with an impressive offseason that saw the team land Davante Adams.
Unfortunately for McDaniels, fans are back to questioning his ability as a head coach. Raiders fans are used to seeing the team blow leads in the fourth quarter of games but he was supposed to change that. The team was dominating the game in the first half but the offense completely shut down in the second half. As the offensive playcaller, McDaniels deserves much of the blame for the lackluster performance. Fans were not kind to the coach after the Raiders pulled off the shocking loss.
Josh McDaniels deserves FAR more blame than Patrick Graham
Josh McDaniels still can’t coach
Great, now everyone’s going to pretend that Kliff Kingsbury is a coaching genius because the Raiders choked and Josh McDaniels is a shit coach.
Josh McDaniels is GARBAGE. He’s literally NEVER been good.
How Long Is McDaniels’ Leash?
The Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers wasn’t too big of a cause for concern. They arguably have the best roster in football and the Raiders played them close. However, this loss to the Cardinals is unacceptable. Owner Mark Davis took a big risk by hiring McDaniels. 2021 interim head coach Rich Bisaccia was beloved by the team and led them to the playoffs. There was also a lot of interest in the Raiders’ opening. Former San Fransico 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was ready to take the job if offered, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. He has a much better track record as a head coach than McDaniels.
Davis decided to go with the offensive guru under the notion that he learned from his Broncos failure. It doesn’t appear that McDaniels is suffering from the same issues he had in Denver but the beginning of his Las Vegas tenure could not be worse. The Raiders have a roster that should be competing for the playoffs. So far, they look like they could be one of the weaker teams in the NFL. Davis isn’t likely to fire McDaniels after one season but he’s only so patient. If the Raiders keep blowing games like this, the coach might be on the hot seat quicker than anybody expected.
Maxx Crosby Frustrated With Loss
The Raiders defense will take a lot of hits for the loss as they gave up the points that tied the game. However, they played a solid game. The Cardinals had over double the offensive plays as the Raiders in the second half. The defense looked exhausted in the end. Despite that, they still stopped Arizona in overtime and gave the team a chance to win. Instead, the offense failed as Hunter Renfrow fumbled after a catch and the Cardinals returned it for a touchdown.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby was frustrated after the loss.
“I feel like we played pretty well in the first half,” Crosby said. “Things just got away. … It’s super frustrating, but you can’t dwell on it. That’s the NFL — s*** happens,” via The Athletic.