Despite the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders improved their record in 2020, the end was still the same disappointing result of 2019.
The Las Vegas Raiders finished their inaugural 2020 season with a record of 8-8, and on paper, this looks better than the previous year where the Raiders ended with a losing record of 7-9. While the Raiders looked to improve record-wise in 2020, those who watched the games know it’s a different story.
The Raiders started the season on a high note, going 6-3 for the first nine games, and looking like a legitimate playoff team. Then, in Week 11, a few mental lapses of safety Johnathan Abram in the late minutes of the fourth quarter allowed the Kansas City Chiefs the opportunity to score a touchdown and win the game.
The Week 11 loss was noted by some as a “moral victory,” but seemed to have plagued the team for the rest of the season. What happened from that moment on was a carbon-copy of the 2019 season, as a seemingly easier second-half schedule doomed the Raiders’ chances of making the playoffs.
Before we dive into the disappointments of the 2020 season, let’s look at some of the positives:
Taking a look at the positives for the Raiders in 2020
During the 2020 season, the Raiders actually had a few franchise firsts. Starting with quarterback Derek Carr and his offensive weapons, the franchise had their first back-to-back seasons with a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver, and 1,000-yard rusher. Carr threw for 4,000 yards for the third straight season under Jon Gruden, and Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs finished with 1,000 yards receiving and rushing, respectively.
Carr had another career year under Gruden, throwing for 4,103 yards, 30 total touchdowns, and a rating of 101.4. Waller finished the season with 1,196 yards, 107 receptions, and nine touchdowns while passing Raiders Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown for the record in single-season reception.
The Raiders’ offense was one of the best in the league and led in red zone scoring and efficiency, and the work that Carr and company put in at the park during the summer paid off significantly. Carr also won his first game at Arrowhead Stadium, beating the Kansas City Chiefs and outplaying reigning Super Bowl MVP Pat Mahomes.
While the offense was outstanding at times, the defense failed to do anything of substance, so it could be back to the drawing board on that side of the ball once again this offseason.
The breakdown of the Raiders season begins
In Week 12, the Raiders traveled to Atlanta to face the then-3-7 Falcons, whose defense was allowing 25 points per game. The Raiders entered the game initially looking strong on defense, but the offense’s inability to jump-start the run game, and costly turnovers by Carr Jacobs, put the Raiders out of scoring position on multiple drives.
The defense’s inability to stop the run further added to the desecration and the Falcons ended up victorious by a large margin at 43-6.
The following week, the Raiders traveled to New Jersey to face the 0-11 New York Jets, a team that they faced in Week 12 of the 2019 season and were beaten 34-3. The Raiders were heavily favored in this matchup, and once again made a team with a losing record look like a Pro Bowl roster.
Jets quarterback, Sam Darnold was able to move the ball downfield at will using both his arm and legs as the Raiders defense looked lost. The lone bright spot of the defense that game was 2nd-year EDGE Clelin Ferrell, who accounted for two strip-sacks that game. The Raiders’ offense was in and out of tempo and came up huge when it mattered when in the final seconds of the game, as Carr read the defense in an all-out blitz and audibled to Henry Ruggs to run a slant and go to seal the walk-off win.
The Raiders, carrying an emotional win under their belt, returned home for a three-game stretch, and they ended up losing three straight. Las Vegas needed to beat the Indianapolis Colts to strengthen their odds to make the playoffs, and once again, the defense allowed the Colts to control the playing field.
The team’s inability to tackle, cover and stop scoring drives was highlighted by the fact that the Colts only punted once in the game. The outcome of this game would have serious ramifications on the team, as well as the playoff hopes.
Raiders fire Paul Guenther
It is very rare to see coaches fired on a short week, but Gruden made an executive decision following the Colts game and fired Paul Guenther. Guenther had clearly worn out his welcome in Las Vegas, and a case could have been made that he should have been terminated before the season beginning.
The hardest of the losses late in the season was a must-win game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night. During that game, Carr injured his groin early in the first half, and backup Marcus Mariota stepped in nicely. He put the team in a position to win, but once again, poor play-calling reared its ugly head late in the game.
After the loss to Los Angeles, the Raiders had a long week to plan, recover and prepare for the Miami Dolphins, who boasted the league’s highest-rated pass defense. Carr returned as the starter following the groin injury that sidelined him the week prior, and he looked poised to take on the Dolphins.
The Raiders’ defense had improved significantly in terms of fluidity and tackling under interim defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, and the Raiders were extremely efficient in moving the ball. Where the Raiders lacked efficiency was in the red zone, oftentimes Gruden would call designed rollouts which only left tight end Jason Witten open, instead of opting for more creative plays using Darren Waller or Foster Moreau.
The Raiders defense took a step back when in the fourth quarter, rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick led the dolphins down the field to score a field goal to tie the game. From there, Carr connected quickly with Nelson Agholor, who in a career yea,r led all Raiders wide receivers in yards responded and added another touchdown, but kicker Daniel Carlson, who had been clutch all season missed the extra point.
The Dolphins struck fast and scored in three plays giving the Raiders time to drain the clock and go in for a final score. The Raiders made it to the red zone, where Gruden instructed the team not to score a touchdown, and they took a field goal with 19 seconds left on the clock. The Dolphins needed a miracle to win the game, and the miracle came in the form of an Arden Key face mask and blown cover-2 scheme (the same one we saw the previous week against the Chargers)
Raiders finish with a better record, but the same disappointing result
As the Raiders fell to 7-8 after starting 6-3, it was quite evident that while members of the team said this wasn’t the “same team” as 2019, the late-season lapses definitely said otherwise. The Raiders were plagued with injuries, COVID-19, poor coaching, and poor decision-making all season, so it is back to the drawing board in 2021.
While Las Vegas ended the season with a season sweep of the loathed Denver Broncos, the trajectory of what could have been for the Las Vegas Raiders cast a shadow that loomed over the final record of 8-8. Sure, watching the Raiders beat Denver is stunning fashion was fun, but that is a game that should have been a tuneup for a playoff appearance after how strong they started.
The franchise has now blown two great starts to a season in back-to-back campaigns, and as the fan base sits back and watches Super Wild Card Weekend, we can only think about the what-ifs. There is too much talent on the team to consistently miss the playoffs, so hopefully, one more offseason can fix the issues on both sides of the ball.
Gruden is going into his fourth season back at the helm of the Silver and Black, and anything less than a playoff appearance just is not going to cut it. They have had multiple first-round picks, countless money in free agency, and years to get this right, but as we head to the 2021 offseason, a lot of the same issues are still there.