The Las Vegas Raiders have already cleared their preseason expectations five games into the regular season, but their 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots showed there’s still plenty of work left to do.
That defeat wasn’t just ugly on the scoreboard. The Raiders opened the game flat and never really recovered, leaving plenty of chances on the table for both players and coaches. For first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, the mess pointed straight back to the sideline.
Kubiak has earned credit for tailoring the offense to his personnel, and that approach has helped unlock tight ends Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers in different ways. But Sunday was a reminder that being a first-time head coach comes with growing pains, and Kubiak didn’t duck that reality when he met with reporters this week.
“I give a lot of credit to New England. They did an excellent job,” Kubiak admitted on Monday.
“I just didn't have a good plan for our guys. We didn't execute well.
We got behind early, and we weren't able to get the run game going. There's just a lot of reasons that that game didn't work out, and it starts with me.”
One area Kubiak pointed to was rookie running back Mike Washington. Washington logged just one carry for five yards, and Kubiak said he needs to find a way to get the rookie more chances. On tape, Washington appears to fit gap-blocking concepts well and looks comfortable in that style.
Mayer was another player who should have seen more of the football. Kubiak said as much, even if New England’s constant blitzing forced the Raiders to keep him in protection as part of their seven-man sets.
“Didn't give him enough opportunities. We gave him one early in the game,” Kubiak said.
“I think they had a penalty on. So, I think overall, that was a game of a lot of seven-man protections that he was involved on.
But at the end of the day, it's my job to get all players involved. So, when they are not involved, then it falls on me."
Now the challenge shifts to Buffalo. Against the Bills, Kubiak will need a cleaner plan and a better feel for how to feature Washington, Mayer and the rest of the offense. If recent history is any guide, those touches should come - especially back at home, where the Raiders have a chance to knock off the AFC East leader.
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