TAMPA–The Las Vegas Raiders will have to wait a little longer to find the win column.
On Sunday, the Raiders would drop their ninth straight contest, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) 28-13 at Raymond James Stadium.
The Raiders fall to 2-11 on the year, but the true loss was felt at the quarterback position. In the third quarter, quarterback Aidan O’Connell went down with a left knee injury after taking a hit from Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. He was put in an air cast and carted off the field, with his status currently unknown going forward.
Here are three takeaways from the Raiders’ hard loss:
Defense makes plays
For a defense that was struggling to create splash plays, the Raiders took full advantage of the Buccaneers’ reckless play.
In the second quarter alone, despite having the fewest turnovers in the leagues at five headed into the game, the Raiders managed to secure three. Defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson and cornerback Jack Jones each recorded an interception, while sophomore linebacker Amari Burney’s first career sack resulted in a fumble recovered by the Raiders. Throughout the entire game, the Raiders would put together big plays all game long. The Raiders would have four sacks and eight quarterback hits on the day, with five different players getting at least a half-sack. They would also do well to keep Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and the passing game at bay, with seven pass deflections (safety Tre’Von Moehrig with three) to go with the two interceptions.
Offensive struggles
While the Raiders defense did their part in this game, the offense was unable to make good on their chances.
After the first interception by the Raiders, another botched snap between O’Connell and center Jackson Powers-Johnson resulted in a fumble recovered by the Buccaneers. Red zone offense has continued to be a struggle as well, with the Raiders only scoring a touchdown one time on four attempts. Prior to exiting the game, O’Connell had a relatively unproductive outing, only throwing for 104 yards and an interception. Coming in relief of O’Connell, Desmond Ridder would complete 12 of 17 passes for 101 yards. One of the major sticking points of the day was the inexplicably low usage of tight end Brock Bowers, who was only targeted five times and recorded three catches for 49 yards. The only true positive from the game was the continued inspired play from running back Sincere McCormick, who recorded 78 yards on 15 carries.
Turning point
With the momentum on their side to start the second half, the Raiders had the opportunity to put the game in their own hands.
On the very first play of the third quarter, O’Connell suffered an ankle injury after a first-down scramble. he would fight through the injury to stay on the field, but the gameplan shifted heavily towards the run at that point. The Raiders would push down the field, relying on McCormick to continue churning out the tough yards. They would make it all the way to the red zone, with the drive going for 16 plays and burning over ten minutes of clock in the process. Unfortunately, the Raiders would earn nothing to show for their efforts, as an O’Connell pass was intercepted by Buccaneers defensive back Tykee Smith. The Raiders would ultimately score only three points for the entire second half, and the end result of that drive was a major catalyst as to why.
The Raiders will hope to avoid ten straight losses when they face the Atlanta Falcons next Monday at Allegiant Stadium.
