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Lack of discipline leads to another Las Vegas loss
The Las Vegas Raiders were not disciplined enough to stop the bleeding and end a continuing season-long losing streak.
In the team’s final road game of the season, Las Vegas came up short against Houston, 23-21, Sunday, Dec. 21 in a Week 16 matchup. The narrow loss means the Raiders will end this campaign with a 1-7 record away from home this season which included seven straight losses after winning the season opener in Foxborough.
In total, Las Vegas has endured nine straight losses as the team’s overall record slipped to 2-13 on the year. The team is one loss away from tying the 10-game losing streak recorded by last year’s team coached by former Super Bowl winning linebacker Antonio Pierce.
With two games left on the regular season schedule, Las Vegas has the luxury of both being played inside Allegiant Stadium. The final stretch begins Sunday, Dec. 28 with a 1:05 p.m. meeting with the New York Giants. The final outcome is expected to heavily impact next year’s NFL Draft.
“This shows us how good we can be if we go out there and execute,” running back Ashton Jeanty said. “And put our guys in the right positions, we can play with anybody.”
There were several mistakes down the stretch that may make the two-point loss harder to swallow for the Raiders. The Texans fumbled on the first play of the final drive of the game but would recover its own blunder albeit 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Moments later, Houston would be gifted a new set of downs despite facing a 3rd and 20 via a defensive pass interference on defensive back Darien Porter.
On the Texans’ penultimate drive, Las Vegas was flagged for another defensive pass interference in addition to a neutral zone infraction on safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. and defensive end Maxx Crosby ahead of an encroachment penalty on defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV.
Those flags led to the first offensive touchdown of the game for the home team. By the final horn, the Raiders were penalized nine times for 85 yards.
Quarterback CJ Stroud found receiver Nico Collins deep down the sideline as the final positive play of the day, sealing a loss for Las Vegas. Stroud finished the night with 187 yards and a touchdown on 23-for-35 through the air.
Jeanty rushed for at least 75 yards for the first time since Oct. 15 in a home win against Tennessee, the team’s second win of the season.
In this one, Jeanty rushed for a career-high 128 yards on a career-high 24 carries including a career-long run of 51 yards which turned out to be his second touchdown of the game. His first came on the longest play of his young professional career on a 60-yards touchdown pass from Smith.
“I continue to just pray [and] trust in God,” he said. “Trust that he has a plan for me and this team. Obviously, things haven’t been going the way we wanted it to. We fought out there but once again we didn’t get the result that we wanted.”
Jeanty’s touchdown catch and run gave the Raiders the lead at 14-13. It marked the team’s first lead in a game since Week 11 in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys from Allegiant Stadium.
Quarterback Geno Smith made his return to the Raiders’ lineup after missing the last contest nursing a right shoulder and back injury. Two drives into the game, he had gone 0-for-4 with an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, Smith would throw the first of his two touchdown passes of the game. He found tight end Brock Bowers for seven yards to tie the game at seven apiece.
Smith would throw two touchdown passes and throw for 201 yards on 16-for-23 passing in his return to action.
After being held to just 75 total yards of offense last week in Philadelphia, Las Vegas had outgained Houston, 109-19, through the first 17-plus minutes of the game.
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