The Las Vegas Raiders hired Josh McDaniels to help take the franchise to the next level, but five games into his tenure, questions are arising in terms of whether it was the right hire.
On Monday night, the Las Vegas Raiders had a chance to do something they rarely do anymore, and that is beat the Kansas City Chiefs inside Arrowhead Stadium. That place has become a House of Horrors for this franchise, but as the Silver and Black got out to a 17-0 lead, you had to be confident in their chances of coming away with their first divisional win of 2022.
Instead, the Raiders blew the lead, their second under new head coach Josh McDaniels, and would leave Arrowhead in defeat, 30-29. McDaniels made plenty of questionable calls in the game, and the Chiefs were aided by some terrible officiating, but you have to ask yourself, was his hire a mistake?
Sure, we are only five games in, but McDaniels does have a track record of little to no success as a head coach in the NFL. Yes, he is an outstanding coordinator, and came to the Raiders with plenty of Super Bowl rings during his time in New England, but can he put on the head coaching hat and wear it well?
We saw him struggle in Denver, as he went 6-0 before his first bye week with the Broncos, and failed to win games after. Now, he is at the helm of the Raiders sideline, and wins are starting to come few and far between.
Raiders season going off the rails in a hurry
The Chiefs game and the 20-point blown lead to the Arizona Cardinals should have been wins, and with those, they would be sitting at the bye week at 3-2, and in a much better position to make the playoffs. Las Vegas also could have beaten both the Chargers and Tennessee, so while the record is 1-4, it could have been a much better start for McDaniels if he could have just closed the deal in a few of those matchups.
Now, it is early, and I am not saying he should be fired, but the Silver and Black are developing a reputation for being a bit snake-bitten. When they are up, they can’t hold leads, and when they are down, they find a way to make it close before losing late.
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McDaniels needs to figure things out in a hurry, as the schedule gets soft after the bye week, and they can get themselves back in the playoff picture. However, he needs to prove he can win consistently as a head coach because if this trend continues, all eyes will be on David Ziegler to find his replacement.
For now, give it some time.