.png)
Fourth quarter push not enough as Las Vegas’ losing streak hits 7
It’s hard to win football games if you can’t possess the football.
Las Vegas suffered a Week 14 loss to Denver, 24-17, Sunday, Dec. 7 from Allegiant Stadium. That means the Raiders have now been swept in the season series by two teams in the AFC West.
With only one divisional game remaining on the regular season schedule, Las Vegas fell to 0-5 against the AFC West this year. The franchise has now lost 11 straight games in the division dating back to last season.
Riding the downward spiral that never seems to end, the Raiders are now 2-11 on the year with four more regular season games left. Moreover, the team is now 1-6 at home this season.
“There was a lot of orange in the stadium, for real,” head coach Pete Carroll said. “I wish I would’ve started it earlier because this connection to us and our fans is crucial to us being successful. If you think about what we had in Seattle and The Coliseum we had huge, huge crowds in our favor.
“But if we’re going to do this, we have to do it together. We’re going to need the fans to support us. I know we have to give them something to cheer about and all that [...] Here’s the thought: I would like them to be here when it turns so that they can be a part of it and have their role in it. They’ll kind of wish they did when it does.”
The first of two straight road games is up next for Las Vegas with a trip to Philadelphia looming. That meeting with the Eagles is set for Sunday, Dec. 14 from Lincoln Financial Stadium with kickoff slated for 10 a.m.
At one point late in the third quarter, quarterback Geno Smith was questionable to return to the game after suffering a right hand injury. About a quarter later, he’d leave the game for good with a right shoulder injury.
“From what I heard, he got his hand cut so they had to get the bleeding stopped,” Carroll said. “But his shoulder is – he got hit pretty good. I was with him so I know that.”
Before disaster Smith engineered a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive of more than six minutes. During that stretch, he completed three passes of 10 yards or more including a 15-yard touchdown strike to tight end Brock Bowers.
Smith left the game with 116 passing yards and a touchdown on 13-of-21 through the air.
“I’m rooting for Geno to get back out there and see how he does,” Carroll said. “But we’re not going to play him if he’s not right. So [backup quarterback Kenny Pickett] will be ready to go and [fellow backup Aidan O’Connell] will be ready as well.”
That electric scoring drive for the Raiders took place on the team’s opening possession of the game. For the remainder of the first half, the home team would be held to just 18 yards on 10 offensive plays.
As it’s been most of the season, protecting Smith continued to be an issue for Las Vegas. He was sacked three times on Sunday after entering the weekend having been sacked a team-record 15 times over the last two outings.
As an offense, the Raiders had accumulated less than 100 total yards after more than 41 minutes of game action.
To start the fourth quarter, Pickett was inserted into the game. That move was greeted by cheers from the Allegiant Stadium crowd.
“I had the experience last year doing it in Philly,” he said. “Got here like a week before the season [started], really just taking it a week at a time. I appreciate every guy in that locker room, all the coaches, trainers, everybody for welcoming me from day one.”
PIckett would help lead scoring drives on back-to-back possessions to end the game to turn a 17-point deficit into a seven-point loss. He threw for 97 yards on 8-of-11 passing in addition to that touchdown pass.
“I’ve seen a lot of Kenny in practice,” Carroll said. “He’s active, he’s quick, he’s really athletic, he’s a good thinker, he’s a really competitive guy who gets situational football [...] I see nothing but positive stuff in his mentality and I’m coaching the hell out of him because I want him to be ready if the opportunity pops. It’s exactly how we did with Geno for years.”
Las Vegas picked up eight first downs in each half of the eventual loss. Denver, on the other hand, earned five first downs on the team’s first possession of the game. That drive was capped by a touchdown run at the conclusion of a 14-play, 81-yard holding of the ball that took nearly nine minutes off the first quarter clock.
By the final horn, the Broncos possessed the ball for almost 40 minutes of the 60-minute ball game.
Quarterback Bo Nix outperformed Smith and Pickett to the tune of 31-of-38 passing with 212 yards and a touchdown run to show for it. As a team, Denver rushed for more than 150 yards en route to the win.
“This game we didn’t control the running game like we usually do,” Carroll said. “They averaged five yards a carry in the first half and the second half so that’s not good enough on our end [...] I’m surprised at that.”
It was a complete effort for the Broncos as they also compiled a special teams touchdown on a 48-yard punt return touchdown by returner Marvin Mims Jr.
“I couldn’t see it because it was on the other side,” Carroll said. “But I know we had a real formidable opportunity right there for us to make the tackle and the guy got out. Unfortunately, that happened and that was really a big play of the game.”
Comments