The Raiders have spent the first six weeks under Klint Kubiak showing exactly where they fit: not among the league’s bottom feeders anymore, but not yet ready to claim a spot with the NFL’s elite either.
That’s what a 3-3 record says after three straight losses and a stretch that included games against some of the league’s toughest opponents. Las Vegas opened by facing three of the NFL’s worst teams, then rolled right into three straight matchups against some of the best. Now, with Week 7 looming, the picture is getting sharper.
The encouraging part for the Raiders is obvious. After winning just seven games over the past two seasons combined - both of which included 10-game losing streaks - they are already ahead of that pace.
They’re also clearly better than the team that picked first overall in the most recent draft. But progress only gets you so far.
The standard inside the building is still about winning, and a three-game skid is a three-game skid.
Kubiak said Monday afternoon the job is less about chasing perfection and more about identifying the players the staff can trust when things tighten up.
"This is the least perfect game in the free world. Everybody makes mistakes, coaches and players, veterans and rookies, and so, it'sreally identifying who are your guysthat you can count on.
That's a body of work. The more accountable players that we can have, that we learn to trust, those are the guys that get more playing time and get more opportunities,” Kubiak said Monday afternoon.
“So, that's coaching too. The more you learn about your coaching staff and yourself, you put different guys in different leadership roles.
But I don't expect our guys to be perfect. It's a full speed, four quarter game with bodies flying everywhere.
But it's really the guys that are accountable, especially in the toughest moments. Those are the guys that you really rely heavily on."
That message fits a team still sorting itself out after an offseason full of changes. Six games together is not much time, and the Raiders have looked like a work in progress. There’s been growth, but there have also been the expected rough edges that come with building something new.
Las Vegas gets another strong test Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have their own issues, but they’re still further along than the Raiders are.
They also carry Super Bowl aspirations this season, while Las Vegas does not. Still, Kubiak’s team has reason to believe the matchup is there to be won.
“Whether you're undefeated or you've lost them all, your every team is a work in progress. It's a long season with people moving in and out of the lineup.
I told you guys last night, I like where we're headed. I like where we're headed.
I like the potential that we have, and I like how hard our (running) backs are working. And there were improvements made, we just got to expand on the good things," Kubiak said.
A win would do more than stop the slide. It would push the Raiders back above .500 and set them up with the New York Jets next on the schedule. A loss would keep the frustration rolling, even if it wouldn’t erase the bigger point: this season is still young.
The Raiders have already shown they can hang with top teams when they’re playing clean football. They led the 5-0 Chiefs at halftime and got nothing out of the third quarter, then did the same against the 5-1 Bills after going into halftime tied. In both games, they opened the second half with the ball.
Those are the moments that have to turn into points. That’s the next step for Las Vegas.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Should Be Careful With The Ashton Jeanty Comparison
Ashton Jeantys early Raiders production has invited an ugly comparison, mostly because the surface numbers look familiar to anyone who remembers Trent Richardsons rapid NFL fade. The caution here is that context matters. Richardson entered the league with a different kind of pre-draft hype and landed behind a stronger blocking environment, while Jeanty has had to navigate a Raiders offense that has not given him much room to work with.
Still, the concerns around Jeanty are real enough to keep the conversation going. His low yards per carry and frequent negative or no-gain runs have been a problem, and the Raiders have not made life easier with poor run blocking, while an ankle issue only adds another layer to the evaluation. The larger point is not that everything is fine, only that it is too early to stamp him with Richardsons fate when the situations around the two backs have not been remotely the same. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Line Trouble Has Put Spytek Under Early Pressure
With the Raiders trying to steady an offensive line that has already become a concern, the front office made another round of roster adjustments this week. Las Vegas brought in offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard on the practice squad as part of a push to add more protection depth before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
At the same time, the Raiders cleared room by moving on from tight end Chris Myarick and offensive lineman Evan Neal. It is an early sign that general manager John Spytek is willing to keep working the roster aggressively, and the bigger question is how much improvement he can engineer in time to help a unit that needs it quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Backfield Suddenly Has A Workload Question Fans Should Watch
The Raiders left Buffalo with a few encouraging signs in the backfield, even if the loss itself still lingered. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. gave the offense a lift with his running, and head coach Klint Kubiak came away pleased enough to point to better production and effort from the group overall.
Kubiaks comments also suggest this is not turning into a one-back operation just yet. Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Laube remain part of the mix, and the workload split in the weeks ahead should be worth watching as Las Vegas tries to find a steadier rhythm on the ground. [Read more 🡒]