si
The Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) came close but ultimately fell to the Buffalo Bills (5-1) on Sunday, losing 33-30 in a hard-fought battle.
While the defeat stings, it's important to keep things in perspective. Over their last three games, the Raiders have faced the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills—the two teams favored to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl—as well as the New England Patriots, who represented the AFC in the previous Super Bowl. In both the Chiefs and Bills games, the Raiders' upset bids were derailed not by their opponents' superiority but by their own mistakes. Against the Patriots, it was a decisive loss.
Nevertheless, the overachieving Raiders are moving forward. General Manager John Spytek continues to make roster moves, and first-year NFL head coach Klint Kubiak has been a bright spot.
Each Tuesday throughout the season, an honest assessment of the team is provided, free from fandom or hyperbole. Here's the breakdown:
Offense: B-
At first glance, a struggling offensive line and a nonexistent running game might make this grade seem generous. However, part of the reason for the poor rushing attack—though not the only reason—is that opponents know Kubiak's system. They know it's built on running the ball, and defenses are selling out to stop it. That doesn't make the anemic run game acceptable; it needs more attention. But Kubiak addressed the effort on Sunday: "I think we have to get production from all three of our backs, and Mike Washington [Jr.] did some good stuff yesterday, and I thought overall our backs, they ran harder yesterday. I thought they broke tackles. I thought they moved the line of scrimmage when things weren't there. I thought Coach Omar [Young] did a really good job of challenging our guys. I thought they had one of their better games, and I expect that to continue to improve."
The red zone offense is a concern. The Raiders are leaving too many points on the field due to their inability to score in the red zone. Kubiak is aware: "Penalties, lack of execution. It's not one thing. But I think mainly when you want to be a good red zone team, you got to run the ball well in the red zone. We didn't do that." Still, against a team many believe is Super Bowl-bound, the Raiders scored 30 points and have the NFL's leading touchdown-throwing quarterback, Kirk Cousins. It isn't pretty, but the offense is finding ways to score. It isn't a beauty contest. Al Davis said, "Just Win, Baby." He said nothing about pretty. Kubiak agrees: "The object of the game is to score points, and whether you're getting it done from the ground or from the air, or they're coming from special teams or defensive scores as a team. Obviously, it's a team game, and it's about outscoring the opponent. So, we're never going to—we always want to be great in all facets, okay, but you're going to play to your strengths." Moving the ball and scoring points was good yesterday. However, to get over the hump, the Raiders must score on all five red zone possessions, not just two of five.
Defense: C+
Initially, this grade might seem too high, but it isn't. Robbie Leonard, despite a thin defensive line, a young secondary, and a high-powered offense led by Hall of Fame quarterback Josh Allen, did give up 30 points. But holding Allen to one rushing yard and having some of those points come off offensive mistakes was more than impressive—it was outstanding. Chris Shula, the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, is rightly discussed as a future head coach, but Leonard just put on a clinic controlling what many consider the best offense in the NFL, and he's had only one bad week this year. Leonard is an emerging star who can only coach the roster he's been given, but his head coach trusts him, and they've formed a special tandem. With John Spytek and his staff building a brilliant roster for the future, the outlook is bright.
Special Teams: D+
Matt Gay, AJ Cole, and long-snapper Alex Ward were great, but problems persist. The Silver and Black special teams unit, for lack of a better term, self-destructed on Sunday through a myriad of costly penalties and, to be kind, poor coverage. They surrendered multiple big returns—including a 40-yard kickoff return to Ray Davis and a 22-yard punt return to Greg Dortch—while committing crucial veteran penalties that repeatedly gave Buffalo prime field position. I am 100% a supporter of STC Joe DeCamillis, and you should be as well, but this is a rebuilding team, and special teams has been a consistent struggle this season. DeCamillis will fix it, but it is really ugly.
Coaching: B-
First-year head coach Klint Kubiak made a rookie mistake when he challenged a play that he shouldn't have, and that is part of the learning curve. The amazing thing about Kubiak is that, as a first-year coach, he should have had a plethora of mistakes; he hasn't. You could count his mistakes on one hand and not even need all your fingers. Robbie Leonard was outstanding, and while Kubiak's staff has some real stars, this is a rebuilding roster. It is thin, young, and, in many places, void of talent. Credit the Raiders for not panicking and building the right way. Without this staff, there's no way the Raiders are 3-3 today, but they are.
Raider Nation: B+
This fan base sold a lot of their tickets well before preseason games started. I had several family members and friends who are Bills fans, bought their tickets months ago, and were in town. That said, I have been to every Raiders game and practice in Allegiant Stadium. The crowd was conservatively 75-25 Bills fans, and I have never seen a crowd that lopsided. Credit Raider Nation, however: with far more Bills fans in attendance, the crowd was never overwhelming for the Bills, and Raider Nation was loud at all the appropriate times. As one season ticket holder who sold their tickets told me, "I love what Klint and Spytek are doing; I won't be selling tickets next year if they keep this up."
Final Take
If I had told you back in June that the Raiders would play the Bills as they did, most reasonable people would have laughed. This loss hurt, because the Raiders beat themselves. But in the long run, there were a lot of positives you can take from it. If the true direction the leaders of this franchise want to take is a Super Bowl, then Sunday was a yardstick. Reading it, this team may not be as far off as once thought. The Rams, I suspect, are coming into a buzz saw, a Silver-and-Black buzz saw. If the Raiders play the Rams as they did the Bills and Chiefs, next week we will be talking about an upset. Can you hear that noise? It's called optimism, Raider Nation.
Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience. He serves as the Senior Writer for NFL and College sports, and is the beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he is the editor and publisher for several sites On SI. Carpenter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). Follow HondoCarpenter.