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Raiders suffer 10th straight AFC West loss, slip to 2-10 on the year
A rocky season continued this past weekend with more misfortune within the division as Las Vegas has now lost a fourth straight game to an AFC West foe this season.
Things continued to slide in a Week 13 matchup with Los Angeles from SoFi Stadium Sunday, Nov. 30 where the Raiders were beaten, 31-14. That completes a season sweep after the team dropped its home half of the series via a Week 2, 20-9, loss on Monday Night Football.
Las Vegas is winless in the AFC West this season on the heels of its fourth outing. In total, the franchise has lost 10 straight divisional games dating back to last season including four straight to Los Angeles.
In the first year under head coach Pete Carroll, the Raiders sport a 2-10 overall record with five more regular season games left to play.
“We’re not able to enjoy the hard work and the changes and the adjustments that we’ve made,” Carroll said. “It’s very similar to how we’re responding together and how we work. The attitude, the mentality, guys supporting one another; all of that is what it takes to turn the corner and get it right.
“It feels like it’s just right there within our reach, maybe it doesn’t look like that to you guys but that’s what it feels like. I can say that because of the mentality of the guys in the locker room.”
With just one win in the last 12 weeks, Las Vegas will look to end its six-game losing streak Sunday, Dec. 7 at home against the Denver Broncos. In the first meeting this season between the two rivals, the Broncos took the win on Thursday Night Football, 10-7.
“Every week is a new experience,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “Every year is a new experience and the past is the past. I’m focused on getting better right now and ways we can improve.”
Playing in its first game since relieving offensive coordinator Chip Kelly of his duties, the Raiders’ offense featured first round draft pick Ashton Jeanty a lot more. He’d finish up the game with 61 scrimmage yards on 21 total touches.
Jeanty’s 21 touches are the fourth-most in his young career with a career-high of 25 against Tennessee in mid-October.
Even while showcasing the former Heisman candidate in the backfield, the offensive line still had problems protecting Smith.
After being sacked 20 times in the last three games including 10 in the team’s last showing against Cleveland, Smith was sacked on the first third down of the game.
In fact, Smith would be sacked on each of the first two third down attempts he faced. Two drives into the game, Las Vegas had only been able to muster seven total plays. On the second play of the next drive and the ninth offensive play of the game, Smith was intercepted for the 14th time this year.
He is now once again tied with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the most interceptions in the league this season.
“We all just have to play better,” Smith said. “I’ve got to play a lot better. I’ve got to be better for the guys. That’s really it, we’ve got to be more consistent [and] I’ve got to be more consistent down-in, down-out.”
Smith would settle in a little after that to finish with 165 yards on 18-for-23 passing with two touchdowns and an interception.
Both of his touchdown passes went to second-year tight end Brock Bowers. The second of which included a crazy left-hand snag by the former Georgia pass catcher in the end zone. Bowers finished the game with 63 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
“Brock Bowers is a tremendous player,” Smith said. “We see it week-in, week-out. He makes plays all over the field, he does things not many guys can do. We’ve got to continue to find ways to get him in space and get him the ball.”
Even with the offensive flashes, though sporadic, getting off the field on third downs defensively may have caused the biggest hangup.
On the opening Los Angeles drive, the home team tallied five first downs on the way to six points via a Justin Herbert touchdown pass on a drive that elapsed nearly eight minutes.
By the final horn, the Chargers maintained possession for more than 35 minutes.
“They were able to drive the ball,” Carroll said. “And that goes all the way back to where we started, it goes back to third downs. We’ve got to go sit down and we didn’t get off the field well enough.”
Herbert would leave the game briefly after that first drive due to a left hand injury, lending the field to backup quarterback Trey Lance.
No matter who was under center for Los Angeles, the team couldn’t be stopped on third down as it converted on its first six tries. Defensive back Kyu Blu Kelly thwarted the first third down attempt almost midway through the second quarter on a goal line interception of Herbert.
“We had two huge drives in the first half,” Carroll said. “One of them we didn’t stop them and one of them we got the big turnover. It’s a great job by our guys of hanging [in there] on defense.”
In the second half, the Chargers really got the ball rolling as they began to string together touchdowns. They scored a touchdown on three of the team’s five second half possessions while scoring points on four of them.
Defenders Maxx Crosby and Devin White were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties as this nightmare of a season for the Raiders continues to trek along.
“Third downs were atrocious for us today – on both ends,” Carroll said. “We couldn’t convert and we couldn’t stop them and get out of there.”
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