The Las Vegas Raiders made a fool of themselves in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the first drive, it was clear the Raiders didn’t have it in them, and things only got worse en route to a demoralizing 31-0 loss.
There was not a lot for the team to even take from this contest, as no player or facet of the game performed well outside of punter A.J. Cole. When your punter is your best player, that is a significant and embarrassing issue that should spur some changes.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff seems lost for answers. Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty both faced the team’s failures head-on after the game and lamented about how the team needs to improve. Raheem Mostert was not far behind them.
Raheem Mostert called a spade a spade after Raiders' loss to Chiefs
After Week 7’s loss to the Chiefs, Mostert addressed the media. The veteran running back called the team’s effort and production “brutal” and even said the quiet part out loud about why the team may be struggling.
"(The) time of possession was kind of unheard of for them. I think that just having only three first downs in the game, you're not going to win. On top of that, I think what we had less than 100 yards (of) total offense, which is another thing, too. (That) is a statistic that is brutal," Mostert said. "We just got to find ways get more people involved. Get, you know, all the right cylinders to go and and be able to come back, especially from the bye week, and learn from this mistake."
When Mostert says that the offense needs to get more people involved, it might not be a stretch to think that he is referring to himself. After all, Mostert did not record a carry on Sunday and had just one catch for two yards.
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Mostert went on to talk about how the team should be facing the upcoming bye in Week 8, but neither his words nor his demeanor screamed “optimism.”
"I think we have a couple days until we all take off, and we just got to come back and just hit the ground running," Mostert said. "We got to clock in, punch our number in and find a way to get back to what we know. Um, at least what I feel like we know, and that's winning football games."
His inclusion of, “at least, what I feel like we know,” paints a picture of a veteran who has been around the block a time or two and doesn’t necessarily have confidence in the team to bounce back.
Once again, Mostert talked about the long-term outlook of the team, and he used the word, “hope” instead of conveying that he “knew” his teammates would do their due diligence and rebound.
"I mean, you still got to have faith at the end of the day, and I'm hoping that's the case," Mostert said. "I'm hoping that everybody is going to do their due diligence and try to rebound."
These are obviously difficult times for Las Vegas and Raider Nation, and Mostert is calling it like it is. Those in the organization and the fan base have to see things to believe them anymore, and hopefully, that starts after the bye in Week 9.