INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Las Vegas Raiders are headed nowhere.
Coming off their 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, that couldn’t be any clearer. The Raiders (2-5) are at the bottom of the AFC West. Their chances of making the playoffs are minute. They’re genuinely one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The Raiders’ woes are multifaceted. First-year general manager Tom Telesco found a gem in the first round of the draft in tight end Brock Bowers, but it’s hard to identify many other areas where he improved the roster.
Antonio Pierce is in his first full season as head coach and has gone through growing pains, particularly when it comes to game management and discipline. During their three-game losing streak, the Raiders have committed 25 penalties, third most in the NFL, and 10 turnovers, the most in the league.
“Penalties and turnovers,” Pierce said Sunday. “I sound like a broken record.”
🔴📽️ Live: Antonio Pierce and Gardner Minshew address the media from SoFi Stadium. https://t.co/iuLIXfc4gL
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 20, 2024
The Raiders clearly don’t have an answer at quarterback. Gardner Minshew played poorly in five starts, got benched for Aidan O’Connell in Week 6 and then had his worst performance of the season against the Rams, committing four turnovers after replacing an injured O’Connell late in the first quarter. Minshew has 10 turnovers this season (T-most in the NFL).
“That’s on me,” Minshew said Sunday. “That’s unacceptable to have that many turnovers. I’ve got to be smarter with the ball. To have a game where we lose by five points and I have four turnovers, that’s critical. It’s not fair to the rest of the team.
“I’m going to go back and look at the film. I’m not going to sulk. I’m not going to pout. But whatever we’ve got to do to fix it, I’m going to do it.”
O’Connell is believed to have sustained a broken thumb on his right hand, according to team and league sources, and is set to undergo further testing Monday in Las Vegas. His timetable to return is unclear, which means practice squad quarterback Carter Bradley could get called up to the active roster this week.
As bad as the quarterback situation is, the issues don’t stop there for the offense. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has struggled as a play caller. He moved to the press box against the Rams after calling the first six games of the season from the sidelines, but it didn’t make much of a difference. His offense has been predictable, conservative and ineffective.
Another limiting factor for the offense is it has been short-handed. Receiver Jakobi Meyers missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, leaving the receiving corps limited after the Raiders finally traded Davante Adams to the New York Jets on Tuesday. Tight end Michael Mayer has missed the last four games due to a personal matter and will be out for at least the next two games after being placed on the reserve/non-football illness list earlier this month. Right guard Dylan Parham didn’t play Sunday due to a foot injury. Alongside O’Connell, tight end Harrison Bryant (elbow) was also lost against the Rams due to injury.
Injuries have also whittled the defense. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (Jones fracture), defensive end Malcolm Koonce (torn ACL) and safety Marcus Epps (torn ACL) are all on injured reserve, and Wilkins is the only one of the group who could return this season. Additionally, defensive end Maxx Crosby has been playing through a high ankle sprain since Week 2. The defense was solid against the Rams, but defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit has still fallen well short of expectations coming into the season.
TIP DRILL 🔥#LVvsLAR | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/01PGwlBZLE
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 20, 2024
Few teams in the NFL have the depth to sustain that many injuries, and the Raiders surely don’t. That’s not something Telesco and Pierce will use as an excuse, but it’s an honest assessment of where the team stands.
When asked last week how the injuries have impacted his team this season, Raiders owner Mark Davis said, “I think it’s pretty obvious.”
The Raiders host the Chiefs (6-0) on Sunday before heading to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals (3-4) in Week 9. If the Raiders are 2-7 going into their Week 10 bye, teams will surely be calling to see if they’re sellers ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline. A strong argument could be made that they should be.
That’s because, at this point, the future should be the priority for the Raiders. That doesn’t mean they need to come out and announce they’re tanking — no team would. But they should be aiming to stockpile as many assets as possible to improve the roster this offseason, not making moves to attempt to salvage a season that’s already lost.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Finding the quarterback of the future has to be the front office’s top goal. The group of signal callers set to become free agents isn’t an exciting one. Barring a veteran becoming available via trade, that leaves the draft as the Raiders’ best shot to remedy their biggest problem.
The Athletic draft analyst Nick Baumgardner had the Raiders drafting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in his most recent mock draft. There are several other viable options including Miami’s Cam Ward, Carson Beck of Georgia, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe of Alabama.
The Raiders are currently slotted for the No. 7 pick in the first round. Unless they go on an unexpected surge, they should be in position to draft a highly touted quarterback. Telesco and Pierce — assuming they’re both still the ones making the call by then — have to make sure they pick the right one.
In the meantime, the Raiders’ coaches and players have no choice but to continue forging ahead.
“I feel like we have a close group,” Crosby said. “We’ve just got to find ways to play better ball, take care of the football and take the ball away more. (We have to just) continue improving. That’s all we can do.”
When it comes to stopping the Raiders’ downward spiral, it’s getting harder to identify potential solutions. The truth is they may not exist.
(Photo of Alexander Mattison: Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
