Unlike last week against the Patriots, the Raiders were competitive on Sunday against arguably the front runner to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
There are no moral victories when your manta is ‘Just Win, Baby!’, but the Raiders have every reason to feel like the organization is moving in the right direction after Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Bills.
With that being said, here are five observations from this week’s game… some good and some not so much.
Klint Kubiak has the Raiders playing hard
It couldn’t be said a week ago, but the Raiders fought hard for four quarters against the Bills.
Aside from Maxx Crosby and Nakobe Dean, there aren’t many familiar names on the Raider defense, but Rob Leonard’s defense pushed Josh Allen to the brink.
The defense needs more experience in the secondary, but that will come with time.
Execution was better on offense this week and Raiders proved again they can play with anyone in the league.
A year ago, the team would have given up by halftime and lost to the Bills by 30.
Fernando Mendoza’s time is getting closer
Kirk Cousins showed toughness and heart on Sunday, but there are plays he simply can’t make at 38 years old.
Cousins brings a lot to Kubiak’s offense with his brain, but this is the first week where it felt like Mendoza might give the Raiders a chance to comeback and win the game.
As it turned out, Cousins almost brought back the team and won the game.
Two details that have stood out about Cousins in recent weeks is that his release is slower than Mendoza’s and his arm strength necessitates more anticipation on certain throws.
Cousins’ margin of error on tight window throws is little to none, but he has been playing incredibly well working with he’s got at this stage in his career.
If the Raiders lose to the Rams next week, it might be tempting to turn to Mendoza, but the ideal landing spot is still November 29 against the Browns if Cousins isn’t traded ahead of the November 10 trade deadline.
Maxx Crosby is back
There were games in recent weeks where Crosby seemed to disappear a little, but Sunday’s game against the Bills was one of his best.
It won’t show in the box score, but Crosby played with the most energy he has shown all year, and he narrowly missed a few potentially game-changing sacks on Allen.
Allen was a difference maker on Sunday, though, and when he makes plays like his third-quarter touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, the Bills are a difficult team to beat.
The Raiders are still weak at guard
It seems like every week the Raiders get a dud performance from one of their guards, and it was Caleb Rogers this week who whiffed on a goal line block in the fourth quarter that probably cost the team a touchdown.
For most teams, 1st and goal from the one-yard-line is a near automatic touchdown, but not the Raiders.
Maybe the decision makers in the Raiders’ building need to go shopping for guards in the offseason, because it seems like every move the coaching staff makes at guard ends up not working out.
Ashton Jeanty might not be an elite running back
The offensive line can’t be responsible for all of Jeanty’s lack of production.
Jeanty looked better against the Bills on Sunday, but he still doesn’t look as explosive as he did at Boise State.
Is that because he’s not 100 percent or is it because defenses are bigger, stronger and faster in the NFL?
The more time goes by; it’s starting to feel like it might be the latter.
x: @raidersbeat
