Week 6 winners and losers: Blame starts with Pierce

Another blowout loss where the Raiders have the same problems and show no signs of growth

The 2024 season is quickly spiraling out of control for the Las Vegas Raiders. After the 32-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6, the Raiders sit at 2-4 and in last place for their division. Any playoff hopes are pretty much long gone as many in the fanbase have begun to shift their attention to the NFL Draft.

That doesn’t leave much room for optimism when it comes to this week’s winners and losers.

LOSER: Antonio Pierce

What might be the most frustrating aspect of the Raiders’ season so far is the team continues to have the same issues week after week.

Offensively, they can’t run the ball consistently and effectively yet the coaching staff seems hellbent on continuing to establish the run. Defensively, the missed tackles continue to pile up as Pro Football Focus had the Silver and Black on the hook for 13 more misses this past Sunday.

While he certainly shares the blame, what you permit you promote as a head coach and it’s time for Pierce to step in and change the offensive philosophy and figure out the tackling issue. He’s talked about fixing both problems but it’s time to see some results.

On top of all of that, Pierce’s game management was an issue again this week as his decision not to challenge Ameer Abdullah’s potential touchdown run and instead go with a hurry-up offense is inexcusable.

WINNER: Divine Deablo

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

After missing the team’s last three games, Deablo returned to the starting lineup in Week 6 and made a strong statement. He was flying around the field and made six total tackles, two of which went down as defensive stops (tackles that result in a “failure” by the offense) via PFF.

The linebacker also rushed the passer three times and logged three pressures (one sack). Additionally, he earned an elite 90.8 coverage grade from PFF by allowing just one completion for negative three yards. In a game where optimism was hard to come by for Las Vegas, Deablo was one of the few silver linings.

LOSER: Andre James

As mentioned above, the Raiders struggled to run the ball once again, this time averaging just three yards a carry as a team. While that doesn’t all fall on James’ shoulders, he recorded a sub-par 51.7 PFF run-blocking grade which makes it five out of six games that he’s been below the baseline mark of 60.

To make matters more frustrating, the six-year pro is supposed to be one of the team’s reliable offensive linemen and not the liability he has been. James was given a contract extension in the offseason to be a veteran presence on the offensive line but, instead, his play has declined and he’s been part of the problem instead of the solution.

WINNER: Maxx Crosby

Crosby continues to be one of the few bright spots for Las Vegas this season. He racked up seven total pressures against Pittsburgh which is the second-most among edge defenders for the week heading into Monday Night Football. That includes a half-sack to bring him up to 5.5 on the season, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. Also, that means the three-time Pro Bowler has gotten to the quarterback in four out of the five games he’s played this season.

LOSER: Nate Hobbs

Hobbs has been far from the Raiders’ biggest problem this season, but he had a tough outing against the Steelers. According to PFF, he was the Raiders’ biggest culprit with three missed tackles. Also, he gave up four catches for 64 yards in coverage and the latter was the most on the team.

LOSER: Matthew Butler

With Christian Wilkins going on injured reserve last week, Butler had an opportunity to prove himself and go from a practice squad player to a starter for the rest of the season. However, he didn’t live up to the occasion and was getting pushed around against the run, exemplified by his 51.3 PFF run defense grade.

Also, while the roughing the passer penalty was a questionable call, the flag on Butler wiped away an interception and led to Pittsburgh’s go-ahead touchdown at the end of the first half. If he was consistently getting pressure on the afternoon, that play could be overlooked. However, that was the only time he put pressure on the quarterback.

LOSER: Dylan Laube

In a similar vein, Laube had an opportunity to make a name for himself and potentially earn more playing time moving forward. However, the rookie’s first NFL carry went as poorly as possible with a fumble to put the Steelers in a position to get the touchdown mentioned above. Offensively, he didn’t see the field for the rest of the game and that trend will likely continue since he squandered the opportunity.