The Las Vegas Raiders are sitting at 6-9, and have let way too many golden opportunities pass them, something you cannot do in a loaded AFC West.
With their loss on Saturday night, the Las Vegas Raiders fell to 6-9, and are technically eliminated from playoff contention. Sure, they are not absolutely eliminated yet, but a win by the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins gets the job done for their 2022 season.
On Monday night, with Raider Nation still reeling from the 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans saw division rival Los Angeles punch their ticket to the postseason. Justin Herbert, who has been criticized for not leading his team to the playoff in his first and second years, got that monkey off his back, as the Chargers locked up one of the three Wild Card spots in the AFC.
With the Bolts getting in, that means half of the AFC West will be playing in the postseason.
Las Vegas has blown numerous chances to establish itself as a playoff contender, and as the season has worn on, they have seen their nine-year veteran quarterback struggle. With that said, other facets of the team have struggled as well, including the coaching staff, led by first-year head coach Josh McDaniels.
Changes came this past offseason on both the staff, and in terms of player personnel, but more is needed if they ever hope to be a legitimate contender in a loaded AFC West.
Are big changes coming once again for the Raiders?
Star running back Josh Jacobs is likely gone after this season, this after the team declined his option last offseason and he went on to lead the NFL in rushing. While the coaching staff will likely remain in place for Year 2, Las Vegas needs to upgrade all over this roster, including along the offensive line.
For their credit, the defense has been much better as of late, though it took a big hit when Denzel Perryman was shut down for the rest of the season. Overall, there is some good, young talent on both sides of the ball, but just not enough to be a consistent winner on a weekly basis.
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There is wide speculation that the franchise could be done with Carr, and will be looking to upgrade the quarterback spot next offseason. Whatever happens there, the 2023 season could be another one where the Raiders find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoffs if the organization doesn’t do some big-time shuffling of the deck.