The Las Vegas Raiders have dropped their third straight game, losing to the Buffalo Bills 33-30 on Sunday. Now, after starting the year 3-0, Vegas is sitting at 3-3, and the only team in the AFC West who it is ahead of is the winless Los Angeles Chargers.
Sunday’s game was a tough one for the Raiders, because it came down to the last minute. Las Vegas was going blow-for-blow with the Bills, one of the best teams in the league, but came up short in the end. It was a lot like the Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, that the Raiders dropped 30-27, in the sense that the game said a lot about the Raiders’ competitiveness, but they still loss.
Here’s a look at a few of the things the games said.
Instant reactions to Raiders’ Week 6 loss to the Bills
1. Las Vegas’ validity as a serious team no longer needs to be questioned. Since the Raiders’ 3-0 start, fans and media members have been looking closely at the team to determine if Vegas should be taken seriously or not. The close loss to the Chiefs said yes, but the blowout loss to the New England Patriots in Week 5 said no.
After Sunday’s game, the Raiders’ seriousness no longer needs to be interrogated. They clearly aren’t the same team from last season that only won three games. While Las Vegas still has plenty of room for improvement, and actually needs to find a way to close games out against good teams, Vegas is showing it’s a good team as well.
2. It’ll be a while before the Raiders voluntarily turn to Fernando Mendoza. Again, Las Vegas just dropped a third straight game, and while that would normally be a sign that a team is closer to starting its rookie quarterback who was drafted with the first-overall pick, that isn’t the case for the Raiders.
Veteran QB Kirk Cousins, viewed as a placeholder, has actually been balling as Las Vegas’ starting quarterback. That was on display on Sunday, as Cousins completed 23-of-41 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing an interception. As long as Cousins remains at that level, and the team is still competitive, he will likely remain in the lineup.
3. The growing pains are brutal for Las Vegas’ young defensive backs. The Raiders have found some promising new additions in their secondary, but the good moments from these young defenders are separated by a bunch of costly low points.
Las Vegas gave up 255 passing yards to Josh Allen, and both Treydan Stukes and Hezekiah Masses were called for brutal, drive-extending penalties for getting handsy when they were beat.
4. Raiders’ defense is holding the team back. It wasn’t just the young defensive backs who let the team down, the entire defense was inconsistent on Sunday. In addition to Allen’s passing, the Bills rushed for 103 yards. Buffalo always seemed to find an answer when it needed one, and the defense was just a step behind.
Until things improve on that side of the ball, Las Vegas will continue to find itself dropping close games.
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