Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 8 recap vs. the Buffalo Bills where the Raiders tried to build momentum off of last week's win over Kansas City. But, they couldn't maintain it as the Raiders fall to the Bills 14-34, committing four costly turnovers.
Well, just when we thought the Raiders regained their swagger back after a dramatic win last Thursday night, the problems with this team from their last four losses manifested itself yet again. They started off on the right foot with a nice opening drive. But after that, nothing much. As I was mentioning throughout the whole game, Buffalo's weather might've played a huge factor with some rain and a little bit of wind. Derek Carr couldn't put a lot of air on his throws. Players were slipping and sliding and were having a tough time securing the ball. Those lead to the turnovers and a lot of stalled drives from the Raiders today. Then again, football is played in almost all of the elements.
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Jamize Olawale, 2 carries, 3 yards, 1 TD. Olawale exiting the game was a swift kick in the groin in the Raiders' short-yardage game plan. For the time he had there, he reminded us how an effective short yardage back he is, getting the tough run on 4th down and the TD on 2nd down. Again, he could've had a quality return if it weren't for a holding penalty on Shalom Luani.
DeAndre Washington, 6 carries, 26 yards, 8 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD. Yes, Washington's fumble before the end of the first half hurt. Before that, I made a note that D-Wash was outplaying Jalen Richard with Lynch suspended. The fumble was a big blemish, but Washington was effective most of the way, especially in the passing game.
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Stalled Drives. After marching down the field in the opening drive, the Raiders couldn't get anything going. The running game, you knew it would be a non-factor with Lynch suspended. The Raiders went pass heavy in the opening drive. But the rainy weather got worse, which affected the plan in the passing game down the stretch.
Turnovers. 2 INTs from Carr. A fumble by DeAndre Washington returned for the TD. Jalen Richard with a fumble on special teams. Three of those four turnovers resulted in 13 points for the Bills. The Raiders were lucky that the defense held its own to force 6 points. Again, the weather played a factor in the majority of those turnovers. Richard and Washington couldn't secure the wet ball, especially with Richard slipping on a return. Carr struggled throwing the wet ball. The turnovers were a big factor in this loss today. And on a side note, it looked like the Raiders were unprepared to play in the elements.
Khalil Mack, 2 tackles. What was a homecoming for Khalil Mack after four years playing collegiate play with the University of Buffalo, he was a non-factor today. During the third quarter, Mack was questionably on the sidelines when the Raiders were on defense. He did get stood up by the physical play of the Bills' O-line and chased LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor all game long. I'm assuming the coaching staff wanted to give him a breather. Mack did create pressure on Taylor at times, so he wasn't completely M.I.A. But, the Bills did a tremendous job in neutralizing Mack today.
MVP
Nobody deserved MVP in this game. But, Washington's selection was based on him stuffing the stat sheet. Outside of the fumble, I thought Washington was more effective running with the football than Jalen Richard. He was also effective in check down and screen passes with those receiving numbers.
Conclusion
The hole gets bigger and the margin of error gets smaller for the Raiders. Again, this dates back to the Week 3 against the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football. It might've been the anthem protests, but something on that night has changed the chemistry and unity of this team. Despite the win against the Chiefs, the tension was still apparent within this team. This schedule is going to get more difficult down the stretch if the Raiders continue play like this. At some point, someone has to take charge. Whether it's Carr, whether it's Mack, whether it's Del Rio, someone needs to adjust the sails on this sinking ship before it's too late. The Raiders will be camping out in Florida for next week for their Sunday Night game against the Miami Dolphins. They have to use that trip to look themselves in the mirror and straighten out all the negative vibes that is surrounding this team. Right now, division title is out of the picture. Super Bowl contention is completely out of the picture. They have to scratch and claw if they want to return to the playoffs because there's no margin of error at this point in the season. Going back to the Dolphins game, they've had the Raiders' number in the last few meetings. They're a team that's soul-searching too, but somehow they're at their very best when they play for the Raiders for some reason. For now, the Raiders just have to focus on Miami, then they have the bye week to fully straighten things out and possibly run the table. I'll see you guys next Sunday night for the game.
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