Oakland Raiders: Thoughts on blowout Week 1 loss

Sep 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders female fan reacts during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Still Under Construction

The Raiders have higher expectations in 2015, but the blowout loss served as a reminder that this franchise is still a work in progress. A young core mixed with a brand new coaching staff making growing pains inevitable even if the beatdown at the hands of the Bengals was rightfully unacceptable in the minds of many fans.

With a second-year starting quarterback, a rookie wideout playing in his first game and a pass rusher in Khalil Mack who is also just playing in his second season as key players on the roster it is hard to argue that this Raiders roster isn’t still in the rebuilding phase. Even if fans might not want to admit that this roster is probably a year or (sigh) two away from being taken seriously as a contender in the AFC West that is just the reality for a young team that still has several holes to fill.

Games like Sunday’s are unacceptable and shouldn’t be excused because the team is still being built, but they are a byproduct of having a young roster that still needs to learn from embarrassing losses to get to NFL experience under their belts. That means days like today can happen on a frequent basis as a coaching staff tries to develop a team that is not quite ready to win yet.

Next: Thought #2: Carr Still Unreliable