Who’s to blame after the Raiders 36-22 loss to the Denver Broncos?
Raider fans are looking for answers after Sunday’s debacle in Denver, and it seems everyone in the organization has taken criticism on some level over the last 24 hours.
Ultimately, losses always fall on the head coach, but as Raiders radio host ‘JT the Brick’ said on his weekly radio show, it was clear that head coach Antonio Pierce and the coaching staff had the team ready to play on Sunday.
“You can criticize the coaches all you want, but how dare you say that they weren’t ready to play? Or they didn’t come to play? Or they weren’t ready to win?” JT said on Monday on his Raider Nation Radio show. “They had the game. They could have shut the game down at the end of the first quarter. They were playing so good.”
Even the fateful interception returned for a touchdown was a well-designed play and by NFL standards, Brock Bowers was wide open for a touchdown.
But instead of a scoring a touchdown to go up 17-3, Gardner Minshew threw an interception with the worst possible outcome.
“I want to be very careful here. I want to be very careful here because I like Gardner Minshew,” JT continued on his radio show.
“I’ve seen Rich Gannon throw a pick six, Plunkett’s done it, Stabler’s done it. Everybody’s thrown a pick six. So it’s a shame that Gardner threw a pick six because Gardner got off to an unbelievable start in the game and Gardner was ready to have his first big game. And then he was toast. Done…. [the interception] was too big for him mentally… too big for the team to react.”
It’s rare that one play so early in the game can have such an impact, but there’s no question the Raiders were never the same after Minshew’s pick-six.
Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if the Raiders can hold the season together. They have been decimated by injuries, can’t seem to find a quarterback, and now the team’s best offensive player is asking to be traded.
That’s a lot for a locker room to put up with in a full year, but the Raiders have checked all of those boxes in just five weeks.
x: @raidersbeat
JT is a clown. Stabler has a Championship. Plunkett as 2 Champioships. Ganon went to the Superbowl. Minshew is not HIM and will never be HIM. This team was not ready to play. It is 4 quarters, to sit there and say the raiders could have locked it up in the 1st is HILARIOUS. Pierce is a garbage head coach.
And the Raiders lost 34-18 not 34-22
Well said about the pick. I really like Minshew but honestly his throw was as bad as it gets, Bowers was wide open, Surtain wasn’t close to making a play to stop a td, to rub salt in the wound the announcers for the game ranted on and on about how great a play Surtain made, he was badly out of possition and the only way for him to not walk away with his tail between his legs was to get a gift and that’s what Gardner gave him. I’m 65 and I would have caught that ball, of course I don’t think I would have scored a td, I probably would have gotten to the 50 before running out of gas, the throw was perfect! I have never felt one play that early in the game could be so mentally devastating but I felt the power of that one unexplainably misaimed toss and I’m just a fan watching it on tv. It’s not the coaches fault nor the Raider players, that’s how bad it was. Sorry Gardner for stating the facts, remember this, it’s just a game, life goes on…but that pass really sucked.
JT is a ugly stupid fool,he’s obviously on Mark’s payroll to continue to lick his balls.
The coaches didn’t make any adjustments at all after Denver took a lead,that’s not being prepared or good coaching you pizza face fool.
This franchise is plain garbage top to bottom.
A disgrace to every old time fan
Brock bowers isn’t asking for a trade. Devante is great, but bowers is the best offensive player on the roster.
Nobody cares about the “brick”. He sucked up to McZiggy so much I heard the emts were called in to remove the “brick” from Josh’s backside.
Something is obviously wrong with the offense. Getsy? Scheme switch? injuries? AP needs to figure this out before Halloween
The team doesn’t have a QB the defense has regressed and AP seems to be losing the locker room. Race to the bottom with the patriots and the panthers sad!
JT is assuming a lot here, by saying that they had the game if they had scored the TD instead of suffering the pick 6. It was still early in the 1st half. I doubt very seriously that the Broncos would have just given up, like the Raiders did after the pick 6. This actually shows that this team doesn’t currently have a lot of heart, to get outplayed as badly as they did. AP has a lot of work to do in building a winner here. This isn’t a playoff team, by any stretch of the imagination, so I think AP’s job is safe for this year.
Go get a quarterback. Trade with the Lions for Hendon Hooker. Put Minshew on the pine. Aiden will be #2 qb. Try and save the season. If Hooker is too green to be a starter he can be a backup to whoever you draft in 2025. Let’s get Adams the hell out of Vegas.
I don’t see how this reflects any better on the coaching staff.. They play a good quarter plus, and then fold the rest of the way, once they hit adversity? In the Carolina game, they show up flat and put together some drives late… in both cases, the Raiders failed to show up or respond to adversity for the majority of a game.
I know JT was saying the Raiders would be laser focused going into Denver, but laser focused teams don’t let one bad play ruin their entire day. Where is the accountability?