The Las Vegas Raiders are an unmitigated disaster right now, with the team sitting at 2-4 following a blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, which was the team’s third loss in four games.
In each of their four losses this season, things have been ugly. But things have also been ugly in Las Vegas’ wins, outside of the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens.
Both quarterbacks have been an absolute mess, and the Raiders cannot get out of their own way when it comes to turnovers and other mistakes, like the blocked punt on Sunday.
Injuries and a lack of talent at the most important position in the sport are massive issues, but there is more at play here. Coaching has been bad, also, both from head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Pierce has been extremely conservative in his decision-making, especially when it comes to fourth downs. And we also know some players have not given maximum effort, as evidenced by Pierce’s “business decisions” comment that brought more negative attention to a team that didn’t need it.
#Raiders punt on 4th and 1 from Chargers 43 down 6 in 4th quarter. It’s the first 4th and 1 punt in plus territory when down a score in 4th quarter since Rex Ryan’s Bills did it vs Ravens in 2016 opener per @sportradar
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 8, 2024
When it comes to Getsy, the play-calling has been abysmal. He is far too timid with his approach, something we saw once again on Sunday when the Raiders faced a first-and-20 from their own 31-yard line before going run, run, pass, punt. Earlier in the game when facing a third-and-11 with the lead, Getsy opted to give up on the drive and ran the ball before punting it away the next play.
Then, there was the decision the week prior against the Denver Broncos to run the ball on third-and-5 at the Broncos’ 45-yard line, which many assumed was with the intention of going for it on fourth down. Instead, the Raiders punted, which was a blunder we can put on both Getsy and Pierce.
The Raiders aren’t just being outplayed on a weekly basis, they’re being outcoached, also.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit has not been the elite force that many thought it could be, but we also have to take into account how injured the unit has been, as well as the fact that the offense has certainly played a role with its inability to sustain drives to help keep the defense fresh.
The talent issue on offense is on the shoulders of general manager Tom Telesco. His best solution to the quarterback problem was to bring in a career backup who was never going to solve the franchise’s long-standing issue. And, he failed to come away with a single quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While you could certainly support the idea of Pierce getting the full-time gig after what the Raiders did once he took over in 2023, the team hiring Getsy and Telesco, both of whom failed miserably at their previous jobs, was always a head-scratcher.
Granted, nobody expected the Raiders to compete for a Super Bowl this year, but this team isn’t competitive most weeks and that is a glaring issue that cannot be overlooked.
We’re just six games into the tenure of this trio and it already feels like Las Vegas made a massive mistake. Owner Mark Davis should take a long look at things and consider making a change, whether that be during the season, or after. The current regime simply can’t be trusted to take the Raiders into the future.
That said, we certainly wouldn’t hold our breath for a change to happen this soon. Davis is likely to ride this out for at least the rest of the season and go from there.
