Raiders Wild Card vs Bengals: 3 studs, 3 duds from the loss
Duds – The offensive line
The Raiders’ offensive line has had their struggles this season and they continued against the Bengals. They allowed Derek Carr to be sacked three times and each one of them or penalized at crucial times in the game.
Kolton Miller had a false start to kill a drive in the first quarter, Brandon Parker did the same, Andre James and John Simpson had holding calls during a crucial third-quarter drive, and Alex Leatherwood had a holding call and an ineligible man downfield to wipe off two big gains. Penalties are drive killers and while Carr and company fought back despite the penalties, it’s not sustainable for an offense to keep playing behind the sticks like this.
The Raiders need to make the offensive line one of their top priorities this offseason and can no longer rely on the likes of Brandon Parker to step up. Hopefully, John Simpson and Leatherwood will continue to improve but some changes at that position are much needed if this team wants to compete in 2022.