Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 studs, 3 duds from the loss

CINCINNATI, OHIO - JANUARY 15: Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders calls a play in the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JANUARY 15: Derek Carr #4 of the Las Vegas Raiders calls a play in the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 15: Defensive end Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders sacks quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 15, 2022, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 15: Defensive end Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders sacks quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 15, 2022, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Raiders fell short against the Cincinnati Bengals on Wild Card Weekend, here are the studs and duds from the heart-breaking loss.

The Las Vegas Raiders played their first playoff game in 5 years on Saturday and also their first playoff game since 2002 where they felt they had a legitimate chance to win. After a dramatic Sunday night victory in overtime over the LA Chargers, the Raiders traveled to Ohio to face the Cincinnati Bengals on a short week.

The AFC North champions beat the Raiders in a classic game where the score didn’t indicate how close the game was back in November and this game was similar. There was lots of back and forth but the Raiders fell short on the final drive in the red zone which was the story of the day.

There were plenty of players on both sides of the ball that stepped up and a few others that didn’t do their jobs as required which led to the defeat. Still, it was a spirited effort from the Raiders and they did enough to make it a much more competitive game than many experts predicted.

Here are the studs and duds from the Wild Card Weekend loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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