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After a horrific 0-3 start to the season, the Las Vegas Raiders appeared to be figuring things out in recent weeks. They won two of three games and the only loss came by one point to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team’s poor start left them little room for error heading into Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints but decided not to show up.
Prior to the game, the Saints were allowing 28.6 points per game, which was second-worst in the NFL. The Raiders had the third-highest-scoring offense so the game had the makings of a shootout. Instead, Las Vegas got shut out 24-0 and played one of the worst games of any team this season. Head coach Josh McDaniels has come under fire to start the season with the team struggling and this blowout loss to former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen won’t make things better.
Many came out and questioned if McDaniels has what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL.
Others went so far as to tell the Raiders and owner Mark Davis to fire McDaniels just seven games into his tenure.
McDaniels Is Leaving a Lot to Be Desired
McDaniels failed spectacularly during his first head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. However, that was over a decade ago and he’s been a popular head coaching candidate in recent years. The Raiders were appealing to him after they made the playoffs last season and the hope was that he could take a playoff team and turn them into Super Bowl contenders.
With the way the Raiders have been playing this season, they’ll be lucky to win six games. McDaniels has long been considered one of the top offensive minds in the NFL but the team’s offense has been underwhelming. Yes, they were top-three in scoring heading into Week 8 but getting shutout by a bad Saints defense is inexcusable when you have Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow to utilize. Owner Mark Davis will likely at least give McDaniels a full season but he won’t forget his team getting embarrassed by a coach that he fired. The Raiders need to turn things around or it could get ugly in Las Vegas really fast.
Where Do the Raiders Go From Here?
The Raiders aren’t technically out of the playoff race yet but with a 2-5 record, it certainly feels like this is a lost season. This is a very surprising development for a team that many expected to be in the playoff mix. The NFL trade deadline is coming up and it’s entirely possible that the Raiders are sellers and try to stock up on draft picks for next season. Las Vegas might not be ready to give up just yet but things aren’t looking good.
While the Raiders have some really talented pieces, there are some glaring holes on the roster. The offensive line is a disaster the defense is one of the worst in the league. In the offseason, the team needs to find a lot of help but won’t have much money to work with. The team needs to show signs of life over the coming weeks or there could be big changes this offseason.
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