After a mistake-filled and controversial game, the Las Vegas Raiders fall to the Cincinnati Bengals 26-19 in the Wild Card round.
What a disappointing ending to such an incredible season for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders went out and did what nobody thought they could do after all the things that team went through this year, and I know Raider Nation couldn’t be more proud.
But this is not a consolation prize league, there are no moral victories, and unfortunately, the moment seemed to be much too big for the Raiders. Mental mistakes are what caused this team to lose a very winnable game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the mistakes we will certainly get into later in this article.
Rich Bisaccia and the rest of the coaching staff are most likely gone after this game, and if reports that came out before the game are true, maybe even quarterback Derek Carr, but we have a whole offseason to get into that speculation. In this article, I will talk about three surprises that happened in the Raiders’ loss to the Bengals on Super Wildcard Saturday.
Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 Surprises from the loss
Mental Mistakes
Unfortunately, the moment seemed much too big for many of the Raiders players, and surprisingly, the referees as well. I’ve never seen so many mental mistakes that cost a team more than the ones that were made in this matchup. First and foremost there were too many drops by pass-catchers in this game, especially the one by DeSean Jackson on a third and six, which most likely would’ve been a touchdown if not a first and goal.
Then there was the deep pass from Carr to Hunter Renfrow, who let safety Jessie Bates knock the ball out at the last second. Almost every big play was brought back due to an offensive line penalty as well, but we can get into that later.
However, perhaps the biggest mental mistake came from backup running back Peyton Barber, who decided to scoop up a kickoff headed for out of bounds, and instead grab it at the one-yard line. That play swung the game on its head early on and was really a microcosm of the kind of game the Raiders played against the Bengals.
The next two mistakes I would like to talk about are coaching ones. First, leaving a tight end on an island to block a defensive end that has played well all season and had 14 sacks on the year was not a smart decision, and it ended up being another sack-fumble by Derek Carr. Then, on the final play of the game, fourth and goal from the 15, Greg Olson calls a play where two players get to the end zone? And not even their best players?
The Raiders best receiver in Hunter Renfrow ran a flat route and ended up on the eight-yard line, Darren Waller, who is probably the Raiders most talented player on offense, had a slow-developing route in which he didn’t end up anywhere near or in the end zone before Derek Carr threw the ball.
Olson’s play-calling has been in question since he took over after Gruden’s resignation and plays like this are a reason why. Lastly, the Bengals’ second touchdown before the half was a major mess up by the referees. Everybody heard the whistle, and by rule, as soon as the whistle blows even if it’s inadvertently the play is considered dead and the down should’ve been replayed but for some reason, the refs decided the whistle was blown after the catch and therefore the play stood.
Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 Surprises from the loss
Terrible Offensive Line play
The fact that the Raiders had such terrible offensive line play isn’t all that much surprising, because that has been the case for most of the season, but Saturday’s game was really bad. I’ve never once in my whole life of watching football seen more big plays brought back by penalties in one game, and with most of them being committed by one player, 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood.
Now I while never was a fan of the Leatherwood pick, I tried to put my trust in the work that offensive line coach Tom Cable put in with left tackle Kolton Miller over the years, and hoped he could work that same magic with him. But so far in Year 1, it has not worked at all.
Holding penalty after holding penalty, then an illegal man downfield on a screen pass to Jacobs late in the game cost the Raiders big-time plays every single time and made the Raiders play behind the sticks against a defensive line that was dominating in pass protection.
If the Raiders do end up moving forward with Carr, this offensive line has to be priority No. 1 this offseason.
Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 Surprises from the loss
Issues on defense
The performance of the defense in this game might be the biggest surprise, as they did get some stops in the second half, and give the offense one last chance to tie the game up in the end, but in the first half, they did not stop the Bengals from scoring once.
Nor did they create any turnovers once again, as they let Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow eat them alive going over 100 and 200 yards respectively in the first half. In their first matchup of the year, Burrow had 128 yards passing in the game, and Chase had only 32 receiving yards, and that was in a dome in Las Vegas. Saturday, in the cold temperature, Burrow finished with 244 yards passing with two touchdowns, and Chase had 116 yards with a touchdown reception.
There was also not much pressure on the quarterback in the first half of the game despite the Bengals having the same type of offensive line problems the Raiders have, as they are decent on the left side, but major struggles on the right. The Raiders did end up getting two sacks, but you can’t give a quarterback as talented a Burrow so much time to throw the ball,l especially when Chase was eating Brandon Facyson and Desmond Trufant’s lunches.
Officiating crew that ruined Raiders’ playoff game are done for the season
At least Saturday's officiating crew won't ruin another playoff game this year like they did to the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round.
The only player that really stood out on the defensive side was veteran cornerback Casey Hayward, as when Hayward was targeted in the game, Burrow was 0-4 including a beautiful diving pass break on a deep pass to Chase. Maybe Hayward should’ve been on Chase more, because the receiver he was covering most of the game, Tee Higgins ended the game with one catch for 10 yards.