Raiders report card: Coaching, special teams, offense struggle again
How the Raiders performed in a 24-17 loss to the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium:
Offense: D-
It’s not getting any better.
The Raiders did provide a glimpse of what they want to be as an offense with a 70-yard touchdown drive to open the game.
But they couldn’t replicate anything like that the rest of the game.
The Raiders combined for eight yards on their next four possessions before a 55-yard drive that stalled on fourth down in the red zone.
It led to a 39:03-20:57 advantage for the Broncos in time of possession.
Kenny Pickett might have saved the offense from a failing grade with a touchdown drive in relief of an injured Geno Smith in the fourth quarter.
Defense: C-
The Raiders didn’t get torched, but they couldn’t get off the field.
While they did enough to keep the team in the game much of the day, they couldn’t make a big play.
The Raiders allowed three scoring drives of 14 plays or more, as Denver went 7-for-12 on third down.
Two of those drives were in the second half when the unit was clearly worn down from spending so much time on the field.
Special teams: D
DJ Turner made an ill-advised fair catch at the Raiders’ 5-yard line. But it was far from the biggest mistake of the day.
The Raiders allowed another punt return touchdown, as a major gaffe on the punt unit led to points against Denver for the second time this season.
A group of Raiders swarmed Marvin Mims Jr. near midfield when he fielded a punt in the second quarter, and Decamerion Richardson even appeared to wrap him up after a gain of about 1 yard.
But Mims broke free, Tommy Eichenberg couldn’t get to him and Mims raced for a score.
Coaching: F
The final few seconds of the first half were an unmitigated disaster.
The Raiders had the ball at their 48-yard line facing a fourth down with seven seconds remaining when the Broncos came out in a spread-out prevent defense only to realize it could allow the Raiders a short gain and field-goal attempt.
So Denver called timeout and realigned its defense.
The Raiders appeared to be confused by the adjustment and called their final timeout, meaning it would have been far more difficult to create a scoring chance.
They went for it anyway and took a sack, giving the Broncos a chance for a field goal or Hail Mary pass.
While Denver didn’t score, it was the kind of bungled situation that wasn’t supposed to happen with this coaching staff.
It’s been that kind of season.
Some interested observers also might be left questioning coach Pete Carroll’s decision to kick a field goal on the final play, but there was a strategic reason for the decision.
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
