Pinpointing the Raiders' Most Pressing Issue

The Las Vegas Raiders have been an eyesore every Sunday since the start of the season. The Raiders have not only lost significantly more than they have won, but they have also looked especially putrid in the process. This year's Raiders team took a step back instead of a step forward.

Las Vegas entered the season convinced progress had been made in most areas, only for that assumption to be quickly proven wrong when they started 1-4 and lost eight of their next nine games. There is plenty of blame and accountability to go around, which is also telling.

What it Boils Down To

Las Vegas' season has long been over, as a poor start to the season foreshadowed what was to come. The Raiders have spent months working through the problems that have held them back, especially on offense. They hoped Kenny Pickett would give them a boost on Sunday.

After starting his first game for the Raiders against his former team on Sunday, Pickett noted that it takes many things for a team to be productive. Pickett is right in that assessment, but the truth is, the Raiders are not doing many of the things it takes to produce a competent football team.

“Yeah, it’s the game. It's the NFL. It's the ultimate team game, always. It'll always be that way. Every man in the locker room needs to do their part. I know everyone's trying to do that. Everyone's looking for the right answers. We just have to figure it out over these last three [games],” Pickett said.

“I can't pinpoint it on one thing. There's a lot of things that go into being a really good team. Like I said, everyone's trying to do their part to make this thing better and we're going to keep working in these last three [games].”

Following the Raiders' blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll explained the team's overall mood after their eighth consecutive loss. This same team lost 10 games in a row at one point last season and is dangerously close to doing so again.

"Well, we're all frustrated. I mean, we hate what's going on, and there isn't anybody in here that doesn't want to do something better than we're showing right now. And nobody's feeling that more than I am. But sometimes you feel like you're the only one feeling it, so we'll try to get through that together. It just hasn't worked out the way we anticipated,” Carroll said.