Las Vegas loses 4th straight game as slide gets steeper

Las Vegas defensive back Darien Porter tackles the legs of Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams inside Allegiant Stadium. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

Not many in Silver & Black expected the Las Vegas Raiders to be 3-4 after their perfect 3-0 start.

However, that’s exactly where the team finds itself following a, 35-21, loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Oct. 25 from Allegiant Stadium. That’s a second straight loss for Las Vegas as the club fell to 1-3 at home this season.

“Not a winning performance,” head coach Klint Kubiak said. “Didn’t start the game well enough at all. Didn’t give ourselves a chance, started the game way too slow.”

After losing a second straight game to a recent league MVP, the Raiders have now dropped four straight contests. The team’s last win came on the road in New Orleans in late September before this winless October.

Two road games lie ahead for Las Vegas beginning with a trip to the New York Jets Sunday, Nov. 1 where the team will face off against former Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m.

“No one’s coming to help us,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to figure it out ourselves as a coaching staff, with the players. We have to compliment each other as well because we’ve got to start the game a lot faster offensively.”

Los Angeles held the ball for 10 minutes and 49 seconds of the final 13:12 of regulation en route to its win over Las Vegas. Running back Blake Corum rushed into the end zone to cap a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that elapsed more than six and a half minutes.

Raiders defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway sacks Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the team's home loss. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed all three of his touchdown passes in the first half with the first two going to tight end Davis Allen. Last year’s MVP found receiver Puka Nacua for his third one in the second quarter.

Former Raiders receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) did not play.

“They were moving the ball on us way too well,” Kubiak said. “I need to go look at the tape.”

Stafford went 23-for-29 in the win with 195 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

At one point of the first half, Los Angeles had 12 first downs to just one for Las Vegas. By the final horn, the visitors racked up 28 versus 18 by the home team.

Moreover, the Raiders went 3-for-14 on third downs in the loss.

“That’s going to be man coverage,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to beat man coverage. You’ve got to make the throws, you’ve got to make the catches. We didn’t, they did.”

Las Vegas linebacker Nakobe Dean (#17) leads the defense during a celebration following a takewaway. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

Already trailing 28-6 at halftime, Las Vegas gained a little momentum via a forced fumble by defensive tackle JJ Pegues and fumble recovery by safety Jeremy Chinn. However, the ensuing drive culminated in a second straight turnover on downs by Las Vegas to start the second half.

In total, the Raiders turned the ball over on downs three times while going 1-for-5 in the red zone.

“It’s very disappointing,” Kubiak said. “Especially with the emphasis that we put on it. When it comes down to it, we’ve got to make plays down there when we have our one-on-one opportunity. We’ve got to make the throws, you’ve got to make the catches and it didn’t happen.”

Receiver Tre Tucker reeled in a 41-yard pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins late in the third quarter and then would haul in a 37-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Tucker tallied a game-high 103 yards on five receptions and a touchdown.

Raiders receiver Tre Tucker tumbles into the end zone during a touchdown catch against the Rams. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders

Linebacker Nakobe Dean made things interesting by intercepting Stafford on the first play of the next Rams’ drive to set the offense up with a new scoring chance starting at the LA 34-yard line.

“We didn’t finish drives well enough I think,” Cousins said. “I would think if you go back and look at the wins, we were a little bit better in the red zone finishing drives coming away with six points instead of three. Or in this case, we came away with zero going for it on fourth down.”

Running back Ashton Jeanty finished that possession with a 15-yard touchdown pass. However, both of those fourth quarter touchdowns were followed by failed two-point conversions as the team fell behind 28-18 before that long late drive by the visitors.

Cousins added to his NFL lead with two more touchdown passes as he went 26-for-44 for 295 yards. As of now, he still sits ahead of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and after the game was asked about whether he thinks about what the transition of power may look like in the future.

“It’s really the same everyday that it was in March,” Cousins said. “Nothing changes in the sense that if I’m not the best option, I don’t want to be out there either. I want our football team to have the best chance to win games.”