Las Vegas Raiders struggling to put teams away in 2022

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders looks down at his play sheet during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 25: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders looks down at his play sheet during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /
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The Las Vegas Raiders have been in every game they have played this season, and on too many occasions, have failed to put their opponent away.

To say it has been a roller coaster of a season for the Las Vegas Raiders would be an understatement, as they have looked so good at times, and so bad at others. Still, they go into their bye week at 1-4, a terrible record when you consider all of the preseason hype the team had after a perfect preseason.

New head coach Josh McDaniels has still yet to find the winning formula, especially with the team working with the lead. We have now seen him and his staff blow two huge leads, one against a division rival on Monday night, and that has to stop happening if the Raiders are to get back to the playoffs.

The team has the talent to be a playoff contender in 2022, and there is still a lot of football left this season, but if they cannot finish games, it could end up being a lost season.

Raiders need to start finishing games

In every game this season, the Raiders have looked good for a half and struggled for another, and that was the case in both the Cardinals and Chiefs matchups. In both of those games, Las Vegas held at least a 17-point advantage over their competition, and in both matchups, they let the teams back in.

Whether it is Josh McDaniels and his staff taking their foot off the gas, or the other team making adjustments, one thing is for sure, and that is the Silver and Black have to start putting teams away. There is no way they should have lost either of those matchups, but it seems like, with this year’s team, no lead is safe.

This is McDaniels’s first season at the helm, and with any new coaching staff, there are going to be growing pains. However, if the Raiders do not fix their issues out of the bye week, the season could go off the rails in a hurry, leading to a possible top-5 pick next year, and more questions than answers moving forward.