The Raiders probably thought they hit rock bottom in their shutout loss to the Saints, but in their loss to the Jaguars on Sunday, Las Vegas fell even further, as they blew a 17-plus point lead for the third time this season and disappeared from the playoff hunt in the process.
So it’s no surprise that some Raiders players voiced their frustration after the defeat. And since star wide receiver Davante Adams tallied 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half and zero yards after the break, it’s no surprise he was one such player.
After the game, Adams said he was frustrated the Raiders did not “stick with what’s working in the first half in Jacksonville. On Monday, coach Josh McDaniels was asked about the comments.
“Davante didn’t … I know what he meant when he said that, and I don’t take any of those things personally,” McDaniels told reporters. “The reality is we have opportunities. We gotta come through with them and I have to do a good job of trying to make sure that we continue to try to present opportunities for our team.”
Though Adams had just one catch for zero yards in the second half against the Jaguars, he was targeted eight times. McDaniels appeared to allude to those opportunities after saying he doesn’t take Adams’ critique personally.
Still, McDaniels tilted toward the run game in the third quarter, calling run plays on the Raiders’ first three snaps on offense. On the fourth snap, quarterback Derek Carr threw to Adams for no gain for his only catch after the break.
Fast forward to the end of the game, and Carr and Adams had four missed connections on the Raiders’ last two drives. But McDaniels admitted he made a point to establish the run game, and he explained why.
“It is what it is, but you end up throwing it really well in the first half and producing a lot of yards and points with very little success in the running game,” McDaniels said. “I’ve looked at it many times because I called a lot of different games: is that a sustainable model to keep playing where you’re going to throw it for 450 [yards] and not run it for any? It’s a tough thing to think you’re going to be able to just do it that way.”
McDaniels went on to say he wanted to find balance on offense because he was concerned about the defense disregarding the run game and rushing the passer with full force, potentially causing game-changing plays.
He also said he’s never called a perfect game on offense, and he probably never will.
“The thought process, hopefully, was the right mindset,” McDaniels said. “Obviously, the execution at the end of the day is what’s important, and we didn’t put enough points on the board to win the game.”
It’s easy to see where both McDaniels and Adams are coming from here. Adams’ first half was incredible, and the Raiders scored 20 points. In the second half, Adams had zero yards, and Las Vegas didn’t score.
But as McDaniels said, there were opportunities for Adams and Carr to connect. They just failed to get the job done when their season was on the line, as did the entire team.
Now the Raiders will try and rally together and win a few games and build momentum for next season. If they continue to lose in such spectacular fashion though, wholesale changes could be made to the roster, and even to the coaching staff, McDaniels included.
