It takes a lot of luck to make the playoffs, let alone win the Super Bowl. The ball needs to bounce your way and you have to avoid major injuries in order to get there.
The Raiders had that luck last season as they faced a ton of backup quarterbacks and managed to stay relatively healthy on both sides of the ball. Things have certainly gone the other way this year for a variety of reasons.
In a recent article by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, he wrote about the teams that have been the unluckiest this season. The Raiders made that list for several reasons, including their late-game woes. Here is a snippet of Barnwell’s thoughts on the Raiders:
“This season, Las Vegas is 0-6 in one-score games, the worst record for any team. They’ve had a few injuries — and the new coaching staff hasn’t covered itself in playcalling glory — but if you’re looking for a real-life example of how random performance in one-score games can be, here’s the dictionary definition from this point forward.
The Raiders either held a lead or had a chance to take the lead on offense in the fourth quarter in every one of those games. They’ve come up short each time.”
The Raiders could see some positive regression over the next few weeks when it comes to luck. But their schedule gets a whole lot harder and they will be forced to play without several key players, including Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow.
Maybe “Lady Luck” will be on the Raiders’ side the rest of the way. Maybe that means the Raiders find a way to string together some wins. Needless to say, the Raiders could use some right about now.
