1. The Good: Neutralizing Joe Burrow
While the Las Vegas Raiders endured a 32-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, they somehow managed to neutralize Joe Burrow. In fact, the former LSU Quarterback only managed to complete 20 of 29 yards for 148 yards, and one touchdown. Only allowing one touchdown from one of the better Quarterbacks in the league is an accomplishment and deserves some praise. The Bengals were forced to focus more on the running game to get down the field.
The silver and black also sacked Burrow three times throughout the game, making him very ineffective at times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbFCyzg4_ek
2. The Bad: The Raiders getting destroyed in the ground game
The ground game seems to be the Las Vegas Raiders' kryptonite, and that continued on Sunday after Joe Mixon ran for two touchdowns and 123 yards on 33 carries. As for the Raiders, they only accounted for 72 total rushing yards, 37 of which were contributed by Joshua Jacobs. Kenyan Drake only accounted for 23 yards, forcing them to rely on the passing game again. More on the disaster that was Derek Carr's day later, for now let's focus on what this means for the team's future.
The Raiders don't seem to be able to defend against the run game or utilize it themselves at this point in the season, giving them very little chance of a playoff run. This is a very troubling trend and might have the team looking for a new running back in the future.
https://www.facebook.com/Raiders/photos/5012908792072901
3. The Ugly: The ongoing Derek Carr saga
It's no secret that Derek Carr had a lot of pressure on his shoulders coming into the 2021 season, and while he initially handled it very well, he is starting to struggle. Unfortunately for Carr, this is once again calling into question whether Carr is a franchise Quarterback or not.
Carr went 19 of 27 for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against the Bengals, marking another example of him failing to put points on the board. This situation is even uglier because some fans are starting to call for Marcus Mariota to start over Carr, only muddying the waters further. Keep in mind, this is the same kind of talk that went on non-stop in 2020 and even got fueled further when Carr was forced to sit out a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 5-5 and risk missing out on a wild card spot if their three-game losing streak continues. Whether switching Carr for Mariota is the answer to the Raiders' problems or not remains to be seen, but the team is reaching a point where they have to try something new. Furthermore, Mariota is that rare type of dual-threat Quarterback that can break away for huge chunks of yards and still throw the ball deep when the situation calls for it. That might be what the Raiders need to make it to the playoffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wdVl-iklg