Heading into this season, optimism surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders was as high as it had been in years.
Coming off a 10-win playoff season in 2021, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels as head coach and bought in multiple big-name players like wide receiver Davante Adams and pass rusher Chandler Jones.
To be a lowly 1(win)-4(loss) heading into their bye week, it can only be described as a major disappointment compared to what fans thought this team was capable of.
The season isn't over of course, but the Raiders will need to climb out of the sizable hole that they've made for themselves.
What's frustrating is how close they've been to having a winning record, as the Raiders four losses have been by a combined 14 points.
Their offense, spotty early, has started to come more into form the past two weeks with a renewed commitment to running the ball with Josh Jacobs and quarterback Derek Carr playing clean football.
They've struggled to execute down the stretch in games, though, something that the Raiders defense has in common.
28th in points allowed through the first five games, the Raiders defense has struggled with injuries in their secondary and have had an inconsistent pass rush.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby has done his best to change that with his six sacks, but Jones opposite of him has none.
Maybe the biggest problem is that the holes that were on this team last year are still around this season, and if anything are more pronounced.
It's not going to be easy for the Raiders to find ways to fix those holes, but they'll have a good amount of time to start now that they're on their bye.
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