Things were already going poorly for new coach Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders before Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They didn’t get any better in that game. The Jaguars defeated the Raiders 27-20, moving Las Vegas to 2-6. More frustrating for the Raiders and their fans is that Vegas held 17-0 in the second quarter. Even worse than that, those blown leads have been a theme of the season — to a staggering degree.
In the Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Raiders led 20-0. Las Vegas also led 17-0 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. So, Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars marked the third time this season that the Raiders have lost a game that they led by 17 or more points.
The Raiders have had their share of bad teams over the years. But blowing big leads at such a rate is unique to the McDaniels era.
Number of games #Raiders lost after leading by 17+ in 628 regular season and playoff games before Josh McDaniels arrived: 3
Number of games Raiders lost after leading by 17+ in 8 games w/ Josh McDaniels as head coach: 3
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 6, 2022
There is no way to spin a stat like that. It’s dismal. Several people in the NFL world reacted accordingly.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) November 7, 2022
That's my coach! https://t.co/ZjGEm6Jsgz pic.twitter.com/AHjJw2nEWj
— J.J. Adams (@TheRealJJAdams) November 6, 2022
Yup…he stinks—like really bad! Just like when he was HC in Denver! Said it then, and saying again, shoulda kept Biasacia! https://t.co/5VFbhyTMYC
— Adam Bjaranson (@AdamKOIN6) November 6, 2022
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 6, 2022
Yikes. https://t.co/7ryd00n8R4
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) November 6, 2022
Raider Nation already had plenty of frustration about how this season had gone. This kind of performance will do nothing to ease anyone’s bad feelings. If things in Las Vegas don’t change fast, we can only imagine that McDaniels and owner Mark Davis will have another lengthy meeting that ends with the Raiders looking for another new coach.
[Josh Dubow on Twitter]
