Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: 3 things we learned
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: 3 things we learned
Looking at the larger picture
It’s easy to point fingers after a loss, but it’s also key to take the larger picture in mind. Derek Carr went 24 of 32 for 261 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two costly fumbles that led to a field goal and late touchdown by New England. Josh Jacobs was solid with 71 rushing yards, but also had a fumble lost. Darren Waller was shut down with just nine receiving yards, but when the expectations is that the defense will key in on him, it’s up to Jon Gruden to get creative with the playcalling.
Case in point: it’s too easy to point fingers and attempt to pin a loss on one person, at the end of the day the Raiders were outplayed and outcoached as a team. Las Vegas is still 2-1 when many assumed they would be 1-2 or even 0-3, so it isn’t time to panic.
But if Las Vegas wants to hold their own ahead of their Week 6 bye, they have to accept the mistakes from Sunday and correct them going forward, starting immediately in Week 3. As they welcome an undefeated Buffalo Bills team that looks like a legitimate threat this season, it’s up to everyone, from the coaching staff to the players, to execute and put on a better performance than what we saw on Sunday.