Week 8 brings a much-needed bye for the Las Vegas Raiders, as the team sits at 2-5 and was completely embarrassed by the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. The Raiders need to regroup and reevaluate where their season is headed, especially since they’re consistently one of the lowest-rated teams in NFL Power Rankings across the league’s media.
Bleacher Report
Adding to this, four out of five Las Vegas losses have been by at least two possessions, and three out of five have been by 17 points or more. So, the Raiders are struggling just to be competitive. The Week 1 win over what has become a good New England Patriots team feels like ages ago.
Sports Illustrated
29. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 27
The Raiders ran 30 plays on Sunday. Thirty. Plays. — Conor Orr
I considered not including Sports Illustrated’s power rankings this week since Orr’s analysis is so sparse. But, to be honest, those nine words sum up the Silver and Black’s performance weekend pretty well. Sunday’s contest will go down as one of the worst games in franchise history, and that’s saying a lot given the last 20-plus years.
NFL.com
29. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 28
You don’t just bury the game tape. You first burn it with fire, and then douse it with sulfuric acid. The Raiders ran 30 offensive plays and allowed 31 points. Defensively, they let the Chiefs do pretty much what they wanted, even if the score wasn’t outrageously bad. It could have been much worse. Whatever good vibes still wafted around the team Sunday morning were blown away pretty quickly. There was only so much to hope for the offense with Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers out, and with Geno Smith mired in a season-long slump, but the Raiders not leaning on Ashton Jeanty was so bizarre. He touched it only seven times — and just once in the game’s first 20 minutes. I don’t get any of it. Oh, and Maxx Crosby and Adam Butler got hurt. — Eric Edholm
One way to look at Jeanty’s workload is that his seven touches accounted for about 25 percent of the Raiders’ plays, and his 34 yards from scrimmage were 36 percent of the offense’s total production! That’s me being a wise guy, and I absolutely agree that Jeanty needs to get the ball more if this offense is going to have any success. Then again, maybe it’s smarter to limit his workload in a season that’s already lost.
The Athletic
28. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 26
Reality check: They’re in free fall
The Raiders have lost four of five (with the lone win in that stretch coming against the Titans), and the offense is in disarray. They made Chip Kelly the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league, but Geno Smith looks disjointed, and the offense managed just three first downs (against the Chiefs’ 30) on Sunday. — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
At this point, one has to wonder if Kelly and Smith are going to make it to year two in Las Vegas. If they don’t, that would be the fifth offensive coordinator (not including Bo Hardegree’s and Scott Turner’s interim stints) and fifth Week 1 starting quarterback since the organization moved to the desert in 2020.
ESPN
29. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 26
Unsung nonstarter/role player: DT Jonah Laulu
Laulu has made significant strides in his second season with the Raiders. The seventh-round pick is tied for a team-high four sacks, with 14 pressures and six quarterback hits this season. Laulu also has four run stuffs, while the defense has given up 3.1 rushing yards per attempt when he’s on the field. “He’s playing great football,” coach Pete Carroll said. “It’s not just size, weight, speed thing. It’s his heart, the intensity that he plays with, the technique you saw, great pass rushes over the last couple weeks where he’s winning one-on-ones, and he’s doing a tremendous job.” — Ryan McFadden
Pro Football Focus has slightly different numbers, crediting Laulu with 13 pressures and six defensive stops against the run. Regardless, he has been playing well and is one of the few bright spots lately, especially as a pass rusher with six pressures coming in the last two weeks. He even managed to record a batted pass and a pass breakup last week.
