The offense is slow, the defense is exhausted, and poor play, including penalties and turnovers, has once again been costly.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ season, which had so much promise only a few weeks ago, is sliding out of control after their third straight loss, 32-13 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
“We came out flat,” quarterback Derek Carr explained. “It was dreadful; there is no getting around it. We’ve just been taking turns for the past few weeks. Just out of sync right now. Nobody is coming to save us, therefore we need to figure it out.”
The Raiders (5-5) were on the right track when they won their first two games under interim coach Rich Bisaccia to go into the bye week with a 5-2 record.
record. However, they have not won since returning, being outscored 96-43 in losses to the New York Giants, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.
The latest slump began after quick receiver Henry Ruggs III was discharged after being charged with crimes in a tragic drunken driving incident involving a 23-year-old woman.
Carr has failed to move the ball downfield without Ruggs to challenge the defense, and the offense has appeared fairly stagnant after a promising first two games sans coach Jon Gruden.
Coordinator Greg Olson, who took over as play caller when Gruden left due to the disclosure of his old offensive emails, has struggled to find a winning formula over the last three weeks. Carr has also struggled, throwing four interceptions and fumbling twice.
The Raiders are running out of time to repair things if they want to make the playoffs for the second time in 19 seasons.
“Being a Raider fan for a long time, 20 years of this crap is enough,” Carr went on to say. “I am fed up.
