The Las Vegas Raiders season has been full of up and downs this season. However the downs of the season were just too much for the team to overcome as they have been mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs. There were plenty of reasons why this team did not make the playoffs, but there are three main reasons why they did not make the playoffs.
3. The Slow Start to the Season
“If the Las Vegas Raiders wanted to make the playoffs, then the team had to get off to a strong start in the season. Unfortunately, for the Raiders, their start to the season was very slow. In fact, in the first 4 games, they lost 3 of them, and in the first 8 games, they suffered a total of 5 losses. Although the team began winning more in the second half of the season, it was too many losses for them to overcome.
The slow start of the season was mainly caused by one man—but we’ll get to that, don’t worry.
2. The Quarterback play for the Las Vegas Raiders was a mess
“It felt strange seeing the Raiders with a new QB this season after Derek Carr departed from the team. Derek Carr is regarded as the best quarterback the franchise has had since Rich Gannon in the late ’90s/early 2000s. As the Raiders were aiming to replicate the Patriots, they sought a QB familiar with McDaniels’ system. That quarterback turned out to be Jimmy Garoppolo. While Garoppolo is a good QB, a significant issue lies in his struggle to stay healthy. Excluding his notable Super Bowl run with the 49ers, he has consistently battled injuries. Even when he managed to stay healthy, Garoppolo’s performance declined significantly, clearly impacted by injuries.
Given his struggles, the Raiders turned to Brian Hoyer, who hasn’t displayed good quarterbacking since his days with the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. It was surprising that he still had a job, but considering the Raiders’ intent to mimic the Patriots, Hoyer being a former Patriot likely played a role. However, this approach didn’t pan out well. Consequently, the Raiders’ new starting quarterback is the 4th round rookie, Aidan O’Connell. O’Connell may not be exceptional, but he has performed better compared to Garoppolo and Hoyer. Nonetheless, the overall QB performance has been chaotic, highlighting a clear offseason necessity: acquiring a quarterback.
1. Josh McDaniels is a Hack and Learned Nothing
When will teams learn that replicating the New England Patriots’ model doesn’t work unless you have a quarterback like Tom Brady? It’s a recurring failure, and once again, it didn’t pan out for the Las Vegas Raiders. Their major blunder was not giving Rich Bisaccia the full-time head coaching role but opting for Josh McDaniels instead. McDaniels, known for a disastrous tenure as the Broncos’ head coach, brought more controversy than success. Despite being associated with Bill Belichick’s coaching tree, his time with the Raiders only highlighted his inability to learn from past mistakes. It has affirmed that that he’s an unsuitable for a head coaching role in the NFL.
The decision to retain McDaniels after losing to a team led by Jeff Saturday, who previously coached high school, was baffling. The Raiders were the only team to suffer defeat under Saturday’s tenure as the Interim coach for the Colts. It wasn’t just that; multiple blown leads, questionable personnel decisions like getting rid of Derek Carr for Jimmy G, mismanagement of the locker room and team culture, and fumbled games despite his supposed expertise in offense—such as the loss to Baker Mayfield’s Rams mere days after joining the team—marked McDaniels’ disappointing reign.
Consequently, the Raiders fired both McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, resetting the organization. Antonio Pierce took over as interim coach, displaying a marked improvement. However, McDaniels’ incompetence as head coach was evident, and it proved is that Josh McDaniels is a hack and should be nowhere near a head coaching job every again.
Where do the Las Vegas Raiders go from here?
The Raiders need to retain Antonio Pierce as the head coach. They cannot repeat the same mistake they made when they let go of Rich Bisaccia. Pierce has performed exceptionally well in the role and deserves the full-time position due to his hard work. Rehiring him could also save money by avoiding a buyout for McDaniels. Additionally, the Raiders must acquire a new quarterback next season, no matter what. While Aidan O’Connell has shown promise, he hasn’t been consistently fantastic. Jimmy Garoppolo’s health issues and Brian Hoyer’s decline in performance since his time with the Houston Texans in 2015 make them less viable options. The Raiders need to retool this team. With the right moves, they possess the necessary pieces to potentially become a playoff team and perhaps even surprise by winning the division.
