The Las Vegas Raiders are now on a three-game losing streak. While their 33-30 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 wasn’t as ugly as the previous matchup with the New England Patriots, it was still a loss, and Klint Kubiak's team must stop the bleeding.
Las Vegas is showing, however, that it is a team with a ton of fight. They bounced back from a Week 5 trouncing and competed with Buffalo, as they trailed by 10 and still found a way to tie it up in the fourth quarter. But the Bills pulled away late and held on for the win.
Advanced stats, however, show that it was a very good day for the passing game, even without Brock Bowers shining. But the run game continues to struggle. The defense is also getting stops but giving up too many explosive plays. Let's do a deep dive into the advanced stats for Week 6.
Raiders' advanced stats for Week 6 paint some highs and some lows
Kirk Cousins has a strong game
Cousins had an inconsistent game against the Patriots but bounced back on Sunday. He threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns and was efficient throughout the matchup, even if Cousins did have an ill-advised interception that gifted Buffalo some points.
He finished Week 6 as the quarterback with the most expected points added, however. Cousins ranked seventh in success rate and stepped up when the Raiders needed him. In the fourth quarter, he threw two touchdowns to help close the deficit.
If Cousins stays efficient, he will hold off Fernando Mendoza for a while longer. He is holding onto the job because of his strong play, but Las Vegas also needs to start winning games, or else the franchise may throw in the towel and start the younger player.
Raiders defense struggles with 8 men in the box
The Raiders did a good enough job of controlling James Cook for most of the game. He rushed for 95 yards, but only 4.5 yards per carry. That may still sound like a lot, and it is, but Cook was averaging 5.6 yards per carry going into the game. So, they did a better job than most.
Where the Raiders struggled against Cook is usually where defenses are strong against the run: When they had 8 in the box. With 8, Las Vegas allowed 4.9 yards per carry. This points to a defensive line issue that needs to be addressed, especially when they played better with lighter boxes.
Hopefully, fans see a change before the next game, and the Raiders can find a way to play better run defense when they have the numbers advantage.
Las Vegas struggles with finishing sacks
At the start of the season, the Raiders' defense was on fire. One reason was the pressure rate and sack numbers. However, over the last few weeks, the pressure has remained, but the sack department has started to fall off.
According to Sumer Sports, Las Vegas is 12th in pressure rate since Week 4. During that same time span, they are 24th in sack rate. Rob Leonard's unit hasn't been finishing, and one issue is that the pressure is coming from only two players.
Malcolm Koonce and Maxx Crosby are leading the way but getting no help from the inside. Tonka Hemingway being absent in Week 6 didn't help, but the team still needs one of those players at defensive tackle to consistently stand up and make plays for the defense. That hasn't happened.
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