Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams.
Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills went about as poorly as possible for the Las Vegas Raiders. Not only did the team lose 38-10, but star wide receiver Davante Adams got hurt late in the game.
When the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a deep ball to Adams, and the wide receiver was hit in the head by Bills safety Taylor Rapp. He was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty and Adams was taken out of the game. The play may have lasting effects.
According to a September 17 X post from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Adams is being evaluated for a concussion.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was also evaluated for a concussion last week following a similar play against the Denver Broncos and he wasn’t able to play in Week 2. Adams hasn’t gone into the concussion protocol yet but that could keep him out of Week 3’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Adams is the Raiders’ best offensive player so missing him for any stretch of time would be a serious blow.
Why Keep Davante Adams on Field in Blowout Loss?
This injury to Davante Adams was completely avoidable for the Raiders. It happened with a little over three minutes left in the fourth quarter of a game where the team was down by 28 points. Also, there’s no reason Jimmy Garoppolo should’ve thrown to him while he was being covered by three players.
It was an all-around perplexing series of decisions. It remains to be seen the severity of Adams’ injury but the Raiders need him on the field. He’s a team captain and one of the highest-paid players on the roster.
What to Make of Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 2 Loss
After a surprise 17-16 win over the Broncos in Week 1, it looked like the Raiders might be better than advertised. However, they came back to earth against the Bills. The defense held the Broncos to just 16 points last game but looked completely overmatched against Buffalo. The Raiders had no answer for Josh Allen, who threw for three touchdowns. They also couldn’t slow down running back James Cook, who rushed for 123 yards.
The defensive line was supposed to be the strength of the defense and while they did get two sacks on the game, pressure was inconsistent as star defensive end Maxx Crosby was often double-teamed. If the Raiders hope to generate more of a pass rush, they need another defensive lineman to step up. The defense is obviously still a work in progress and doesn’t look improved over last year’s squad that finished 26th in the league last season in points allowed.
The offense also didn’t look very good. Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and running back Zamir White lost a fumble. Josh Jacobs rushed for negative two yards on nine carries. It was just an atrocious performance from an offense that is loaded with talent. It’s not a surprise for the defense to struggle but if the offense is this bad, the Raiders could be in for a long year. Through two games, the offense has scored just 27 points. It’s still early in the season but there needs to be improvement next week against the Steelers – a team that always has a good defense.