The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off another loss, but this one feels different. They had a chance to win, and their young players showed promise and fight. They did fall, however, to the Houston Texans 23-21 and dropped to 2-13 on the year.
Offensively, it didn’t start great with Geno Smith throwing a pick-six to Derek Stingley Jr. to go down 7-0, but they responded with a Brock Bowers red zone score to knot it at 7-7.
Then, Ashton Jeanty and the run game of Vegas, which had been nonexistent for quite some time, showed lots of signs against a top-five run defense. Jeanty was able to rush for 24 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown on 5.3 yards per attempt, which was bolstered by a 51-yard explosion for that touchdown.
In the pass game, Jeanty also exploded for a 60-yard pass from Smith that went the distance. Explosiveness also came from rookie Jack Bech, who had a 37-yard reception, and Tre Tucker, who added 43 yards as well. Bowers also added 33 yards on five catches and the touchdown.
The defense did a great job overall, holding Houston to 270 total yards and under 200 passing (187 total) as well as under 100 yards rushing (83 total). They made Stroud look uncomfortable all day, which kept them to one offensive touchdown and three field goals.
The Raiders also added six TFLs, with Crosby having two, and the unit hit Stroud four times. Devin White, who was a new signing this offseason, continues his strong campaign with an 11-tackle outing flying all over the field.
This was a game the defense played well enough to win; unfortunately, the defensive touchdown for the Texans was the difference. After Las Vegas cut the lead to 23-21, they were not able to get the lead back and lost again.
However, not all is lost, as after another shake-up in the draft order, Vegas sits at the number two pick with a game against the New York Giants, who possess the first pick looming to ultimately decide who gets the number one pick.
Instead of talking about key matchups, let's talk about key decisions that could help the Raiders moving forward.
The first matter of business is figuring out whether or not Pete Carroll is the right coach for the future. This season clearly has been a struggle, especially on the offensive side, which was supposed to be his strength, mainly in physicality and in the run game, but that hasn’t panned out at all like either side hoped it would.
Also, the Raiders are a lot farther away from win-now mode than Carroll thought when he took this job, so that will require a rebuild. Carroll is 74, and after this year, there are two more years with an additional year as a team option. Vegas may need to think about finding a young coordinator for Carroll to mentor, and then, after next season, move on from Carroll and get younger, as this process will take several seasons.
Next order of business is looking at the offense, and clearly, there are three positions that need upgrades: Quarterback, Receiver, and Offensive Line.
The quarterback play from Smith simply hasn’t been good enough, as he has thrown the most interceptions this season, and at times is so out of rhythm because he doesn’t have enough time to throw, and the receivers simply don’t get open.
So they need to decide if the amount of money they invested in Smith (2-year extension with $75 million total and $65.5 million guaranteed) is worth it, or if they should take the dead money hit and start over, either through the draft or free agency.
The offensive line this season has been quite abysmal, allowing their quarterbacks to be sacked among the most in the league, as well as not giving any running back any room at all on the ground.
Dylan Parham and Kolton Miller have clearly been the best of a bad line this season, with Parham being ranked about average (41st among Guards) according to PFF, with a 59.7 overall grade, and Miller among the top (sixth among Tackles) with an overall grade of 86.5.
However, Miller has been on IR, which has been a big reason why they have struggled so much. So the left tackle and left guard positions appear to be in good hands for now, but the same cannot be said for center, right guard, and right tackle.
Rookie DJ Glaze at right tackle has struggled all year and ranks near the bottom (65th among tackles) with an overall grade of 57.6. His job security is deeply in question.
The center and left guard positions are in a weird position, as Jackson Powers-Johnson has been hurt for most of the year and would be an improvement, most likely playing at left guard. Powers-Johnson’s PFF grade is actually in the top half among guards (35th) with an overall grade of 63.8. So there is some for the future at the left guard spot, which just leaves the center position.
Will Putnam has been starting recently; however, his play has not been great. Putnam ranks near the bottom (hasn’t played enough snaps to receive a ranking) with an overall grade of 30.8. Clearly not ideal for a consistent run game or pass protection.
The alternative, Alex Cappa, hasn’t played well either. Cappa ranks last among centers (40th) with an overall grade of 50.8. While it appears Cappa has played better, Las Vegas is seeing what they have in everyone before settling on any solution because this season has been so much of a struggle.
Players like Stone Forsythe (54.6 overall grade; 71st among tackles), Jordan Meredeith (33rd among centers with an overall grade of 57.7), Charles Grant (48.4 overall grade; not enough snaps to be ranked), and Caleb Rogers (66 overall grade; again not enough snaps to be ranked) have all found themselves in the rotation at some point. However, none of them are good enough to avoid drafting or signing free agents on the offensive line.
On the receiver side, since trading Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they have struggled to find anyone on the roster who can win consistently down the field other than Bowers and, occasionally, Tucker and Bech.
So, in the draft and free agency, they could also look for slot receivers to add depth, and primarily an X and a Z receiver to be on the outside, both on the strong and weak sides of the formation. Adding these weapons, especially in the red zone, will do a lot for Jeanty and Bowers getting favorable box looks as well as personnel matchups.
For the Raiders’ defense, there are several major needs, starting with the defensive line. They need another game-breaker on the edge to complement Maxx Crosby and allow him to get after the QB without getting the full attention of the other team. Having a tandem of edge rushers has become one of the great ways to build an NFL defense. If you look at the Houston Texans, that is exactly what they did, and it has worked to perfection.
Also on the defensive line, they need to bulk up their interior with someone who can disrupt the pocket from within and flush the quarterback out, as well as dominate in the run game, which has been a struggle recently. If they can find this guy, it lightens the load on the linebackers and the secondary.
On the second level, a linebacker is also needed, but they already have a stud on the roster who has had a tremendous bounce-back season in Devin White. Vegas should look to resign him as well as add to their depth and talent at that position. Being able to fill gaps in the run game as well as cover deep down the field is necessary, especially if they are looking to compete in the near future.
Lastly, the secondary needs a lot of work, especially at the corner position. They really haven't forced many turnovers and are just an average pass defense. Getting a guy or several guys who can make plays on the ball and play sticky coverage is a must, so the investment in the front seven can actually mean something.
Getting pass deflections, interceptions, and punchouts from your secondary gets the whole defense going and allows the play caller to be more aggressive, knowing he can trust the guys in the back end to hold up if he wants to get more pressure on the quarterback.
Clearly, this season has shown us that there are many holes on the Raiders’ ship, but with several young guys performing well this last Sunday, there is reason to believe that they can stay afloat and have a promising future.
The keys to a successful future are the coach and the quarterback, so figuring these out sooner rather than later is crucial if Vegas wants to compete or set itself up to compete.
Without a dominant offensive line, it will be very difficult to do anything, so making that investment, however it is done, will really make the selection of Jeanty and any skill guys like outside receivers, which they do need, very worth it.
The defense at all levels also needs work, so getting playmakers at edge, interior defensive line, linebacker, and cornerback will all help the team as a whole, as well as forming the culture of what the Raiders want to be. One player cannot be the culture..
So, pay attention to how the Raiders finish this season. Do they fight? Are people’s jobs on the line? Do you see the forming of a culture? Only time will tell.
The upcoming matchup with the Giants will either help them land the first pick with another loss or give them confidence going into next season with a win. No matter what happens, having a top pick in Vegas will change the trajectory of the franchise forever through a selection or a trade.
Raiders Nation, the future still has some hope; the ship is still sailing.