The Raiders walked out of Sunday with their first loss of the season, but the bigger story is that they left Kansas City looking like they belonged on the same field with a Chiefs team that looks like a Super Bowl contender. That is not nothing. For all the frustration that came with the defeat, Las Vegas gave a pretty clear answer about itself: this isn’t a fake start, and it isn’t a soft team that folds when the game turns ugly.
That said, the loss also put a spotlight on a problem that keeps hanging around. The Raiders still can’t get the run game going.
For a team that has looked better overall than last year’s group, the rushing issues are stubbornly familiar. Klint Kubiak has a strong reputation for designing the ground game, the offensive line looks improved, and rookie Mike Washington Jr. has the look of another real weapon in the backfield.
None of it has mattered enough yet. Through four weeks, Las Vegas remains one of the league’s worst rushing offenses, and the weird part is that there isn’t one obvious explanation that solves everything.
Ashton Jeanty has been dealing with injuries, and the eye test says he is not quite right. But Washington had his own struggles against Kansas City, and both backs have had trouble finding steady room to work.
That points toward the blocking. Even then, the Raiders have been average in run-block win rate.
Maybe defenses are starting to catch up to Kubiak’s scheme, though that feels like a stretch.
Which leaves a different issue entirely.
Kirk Cousins is still playing well, but Sunday made his limitations hard to ignore. Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo does what he always does: he brings pressure.
The best answer is a quarterback who can punish that with his legs. Cousins can still slip out of sacks, but he no longer has the ability to turn those escapes into meaningful yardage.
More often than not, he was stuck throwing on the move, and that is where his arm just does not hold up the same way.
That does not make him a bad option. Far from it.
Cousins has been one of the better quarterbacks in the league through the first four weeks, and he is probably still the Raiders’ best choice. But there is a ceiling question here, and Sunday brought it into focus.
His minus-2 rushing yards are second to last among quarterbacks with at least 100 snaps this season, 14 yards behind Aaron Rodgers, who has 12. In today’s NFL, it is hard to imagine a real postseason run with a quarterback who can barely steal even a few positive yards on the ground.
Still, that kind of conversation only exists because the Raiders have put themselves in one.
The most meaningful takeaway from this game is that the 3-0 start was not a mirage created by an easy schedule. Las Vegas matched up with a high-level Kansas City team and went blow for blow.
The game swung back and forth, and at different points the Raiders even looked like the better team. They still have work to do, but they also look like a team that is close.
The other encouraging sign was the way they handled adversity. For the second straight week, a fourth-quarter kickoff return fumble could have buried them.
In previous seasons, that kind of moment would have sent everything off the rails. Instead, the Raiders fought back again.
This time they just ran out of time.
They may still look like a fringe wild-card team, but one thing is clear: Kubiak has them competing until the end.
In Other News...
Raiders Were At Center Of A Brutal Late Chiefs Controversy
The Raiders trip to Kansas City turned into one of those divisional finishes that leaves everybody talking long after the final whistle. In a 30-27 Chiefs win, Las Vegas found itself at the center of a late controversy when a catch ruling went the Raiders way and was finalized before a review could be requested, adding a fresh layer of tension to an already tight game.
Kansas City still managed to close it out, with safety Xavier Nwankpa coming up with an interception that helped swing the ending back in the Chiefs favor. A penalty against the Raiders then further tipped the final sequence, turning a disputed moment into another frustrating chapter in a rivalry that rarely comes without drama. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Pressure Is Building Around One Move They May Not Delay
The narrow loss to the Chiefs only sharpened a conversation that has been building around the Raiders for weeks: this offense still looks like it needs a true No. 1 wide receiver. On Raider Nation Radio, Q Myers made the case that receiver help should be at the top of the teams shopping list, and the timing matters with the November 10 trade deadline drawing closer.
Marvin Harrison Jr. has even been floated as a speculative name if he were to become available, a reminder of how aggressive the Raiders may need to be if they want to change the shape of this passing game. For a team trying to keep pace in a tight AFC race, the pressure is no longer just about making a move, but about whether they can afford to wait much longer to make it. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Let Chiefs Game Slip Away After A Few Brutal Decisions
The Raiders had a chance to make life difficult for the undefeated Chiefs at home in an AFC West matchup, and for stretches they were right there. The game swung on a series of big moments, from Kansas Citys fake punt to scoring drives that kept both sides trading the lead, while Las Vegas answered with touchdown throws from Kirk Cousins to Ian Thomas and Michael Mayer.
Still, the kind of game the Raiders needed to finish cleanly started to tilt the other way on a few brutal decisions and mistakes. A critical Dareke Young fumble added to the frustration, and Kansas City kept finding answers, including a late fourth-quarter touchdown run by Kenneth Walker III, leaving Las Vegas to wonder how a winnable game got away. [Read more 🡒]