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The Las Vegas Raiders defense showed signs of life in recent weeks after holding back-to-back opponents to less than 20 points. The defense came crashing back to earth in dramatic fashion in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears.
The group gave up 30 points to a Bears team that started undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent. Defensive end Maxx Crosby wasn’t happy with how the team performed and called out players and coaches.
“It was s*** football,” Crosby said in his October 22 postgame media availability. “We didn’t play good enough in any phase. … It was an embarrassment. Everyone’s gotta get better, players and coaches. It’s as simple as that.
“So, yeah, we obviously got to watch the film and not ignore what just happened. But at the same time, you can’t dwell on it. Figure out what you can do better and move forward. But yeah, it’s obviously tough. We didn’t play good enough and it’s super disappointing.”
It’s notable that Crosby would specifically mention coaches needing to be better. It’s unclear who he could be talking about but it’s clear he doesn’t believe that the Raiders are being coached at a high level every week.
Josh McDaniels Discusses Loss
Head coach Josh McDaniels has been under fire for most of his Raiders tenure as fans continue to call for him to lose his job. Sunday’s loss to the Bears was a new low point for a team that has been struggling since the coach took over.
Despite the fact the Raiders haven’t been consistent, McDaniels doesn’t know if he’s ready to make sweeping changes to his process.
“I look at everything,” McDaniels said in his October 22 press conference. “I mean, again, I think we’ve had stretches where it’s been fine, very competitive. But we need to find some consistency in all three phases. I think we have. I think we have some of that in the kicking game. I think we’ve had stretches where we’ve played competitively on offense and defense, but just not enough.”
The Raiders offense has still yet to score more than 20 points in a game, the defense remains inconsistent and kicker Daniel Carlson missed a field goal against the Bears.
Josh McDaniels Believes Team Was Ready to Play
Heading into Week 7, the Bears were 1-5 and held the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They also had the No. 1 pick last season before trading it. Chicago has consistently been one of the worst teams in the NFL for a few years now but managed to blow out the Raiders.
One reporter asked Josh McDaniels if the team just wasn’t prepared to play.
“I didn’t think it was that we weren’t ready to play,” McDaniels said. “The guys had energy and juice. We lost control of the line of scrimmage, and then we’re playing the game backwards, and that is not a formula that has suited us.
“We need to figure that out, how we can do that better.”
Regardless of what it is, there’s something clearly wrong with the Raiders. All three of their wins have come by four or fewer points and they’ve been blown out twice. How the team bounces back after this rough loss will be telling.
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