With their 19-17 loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Friday, the Las Vegas Raiders prolonged their shedding streak to eight consecutive video games, are 2-10 and can miss the playoffs for the third 12 months in a row and twentieth time in 22 seasons.
They haven’t any long-term reply at quarterback, the roster is devoid of playmakers outdoors of rookie tight finish Brock Bowers and edge-rusher Maxx Crosby, and head coach Antonio Pierce doesn’t appear to be the reply on the sidelines.
It’s a grim outlook, and it’s also in all probability time for an additional full reset with a very powerful components of the crew.
Let’s begin with Pierce because the crew’s head coach.
He took over for Josh McDaniels midway by the 2023 season and did sufficient down the stretch (5-4) to have the interim tag eliminated. Whereas it’s uncommon for head coaches to be fired after only one season, and whereas this season might not be completely Pierce’s fault, it’s tough to make a compelling argument for why they need to not take into consideration trying outdoors of the group for different choices.
For one, Pierce has made some actually baffling selections in video games this season, together with Friday’s loss to the Chiefs. That doesn’t even get into the indecisiveness and revolving door of beginning quarterbacks.
Two of the largest blunders on Friday got here within the fourth quarter.
The primary got here with simply over 12 minutes to play when he accepted a five-yard penalty following a Patrick Mahomes incomplete cross on 2nd-and-15. As a substitute of declining the penalty and giving the Chiefs a Third-and-15 scenario, Pierce accepted it to make it 2nd-and-20 in an effort to attempt to make a possible field-goal try a bit of harder.
However all it did was give Mahomes an additional right down to get the primary down, and he took benefit of it by finishing 15-yard cross to offer the Chiefs a extra manageable Third-and-5 scenario, which they simply transformed. The Chiefs ended up kicking a area objective anyway to retake the lead.
Later within the recreation with the Raiders going through a 4th-and-10 on the Chiefs 40-yard line with simply over two minutes to play, he burned an necessary timeout after sending out the punt crew after which altering his thoughts and electing to strive a area objective. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson ended up lacking his third area objective of the sport on the try. The miss definitely harm, however it was a 58-yard try and much from automated. Losing the timeout was nearly much more damaging for the Raiders’ possibilities.
Until the Raiders suppose selections like which might be going to dramatically change, or that Pierce is the long-term reply, this offseason can be the best time to attempt to discover that long-term reply.
This offseason is more likely to end result within the Raiders drafting a quarterback on the high of the draft, whether or not or not it’s Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
The worst factor an NFL crew can do for a younger quarterback is put them right into a scenario the place they’re consistently altering coaches early of their profession and never giving them any consistency. It’s the identical mistake groups just like the Chicago Bears maintain making, and most not too long ago made by bringing again Matt Eberflus for the beginning of this season. As quickly because the Bears made the choice to maneuver on from Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams, they need to have simply ushered in a very new period with a brand new head coach.
It appears inevitable that inside a 12 months or two the Raiders are going to be altering coaches once more anyway. You recognize you will be choosing a brand new quarterback. Give that quarterback a brand new coach who can develop with them.