Four weeks ago, the Las Vegas Raiders went up against Jeff Saturday for his first game as the newest head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Although the Raiders had a 14-13 lead at one point, Las Vegas went on to lose that game 25-20.
On Thursday, the Raiders faced a similar situation going up against the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was claimed off waivers by the team just 48 hours before kickoff.
For the second straight NFL game, a team came back from 13 points to win 17-16.
After Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied back to defeat New Orleans on Monday Night Football, the Rams defeated the Raiders with the exact same score for Thursday Night Football at SoFi Stadium.
Like three days ago, it was a tale of two halves as the Rams scored two late touchdowns to snap their six-game losing streak.
Rams running back Cam Akers scored from one yard out with 3:19 left in the fourth quarter and Mayfield led a 98-yard game-winning drive capped off by a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left.
Here are four winners and losers from the Raiders’ fourth loss when having a lead of at least 10 points this season.
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Winner: Los Angeles Rams’ Baker Mayfield
Despite coming into Los Angeles with less time to prepare, on top of it being a short week for the Rams, Mayfield somehow was able to pull off a comeback over the visiting Raiders.
Rams quarterback John Wolford took the first drive and handed the ball off on three straight plays, leading to a punt.
On the ensuing drive and for the rest of the game, it was time for Mayfield to make his Rams’ debut.
Mayfield took advantage of one of the league’s worst pass defenses. After completing 3-of-6 passes before halftime, he was 19-of-32 in the final 30 minutes, including completing his final four throws.
Overall, the 27-year-old threw for 230 yards and now gets set to look back at the film and have more than enough time to prepare for Green Bay on 11 days rest for Monday Night Football.
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Loser: Las Vegas Raiders penalties
Las Vegas recorded penalties that ultimately affected the outcome of the game, especially on the Rams’ final scoring drive.
After Raiders punter AJ Cole made a solid punt by making the ball bounce along the sidelines, down at the 2-yard line, Las Vegas was hurt by two penalties on consecutive plays.
Safety Duron Harmon recorded an interception, but a flag was thrown on Amik Robertson for pass interference.
On the next play, defensive ends Maxx Crosby, and Chandler Jones combined to record a sack. As the defense was celebrating, tackle Jerry Tillery slapped the football out of Mayfield’s hands, resulting in another penalty for a first down.
The Rams had five of their 20 first downs from penalties. In addition, the Raiders committed five of their six penalties in the second half for 89 yards.
Head coach Josh McDaniels said that was the opposite of his message to limit self-inflicted blunders, leading to the bad side of results.
“The bottom line is until we figure out how to stop losing games with mistakes that we do ourselves, then it makes it very difficult to win.”
Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels on learning how to stop losing
Winner: Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones are still a threat
Last week, Chandler Jones was in the spotlight during the 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Las Vegas. Thursday night was one of the first times when both he and Crosby were a force on the outside.
Although Crosby, Tillery, and defensive end Clelin Ferrell were penalized in crucial moments, the Raiders’ D-line was still a force throughout the game.
Crosby recorded three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and a sack. On the other side of the Raiders’ defensive front, Jones recorded two quarterback hits and a sack.
In addition, Jones also forced and recovered a fumble in the red zone to keep the Rams from putting points on the board with 4:45 left in the second quarter and the Raiders clinging to a 13-3 lead at the time.
Ever since the addition of Tillery to the defensive front, it has opened up opportunities for Crosby and Jones to find success on the outside as the pressure has built from the middle. While they ultimately didn’t get the win, it’s hard to ignore the impact the defensive line had on this game.
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Loser: Second-half blunders strike again for the Raiders
One of the strengths for Las Vegas as of late has been its scoring. The Silver and Black became the first team this season to have a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver.
Entering tonight, quarterback Derek Carr had been averaging 21.8 completions and 271 passing yards over the last five games.
However, the Raiders could only muster three points in the third and fourth quarters as the 30-year-old play caller threw the ball just 20 times for 137 yards and two interceptions.
From the penalties to only having Carr on the field for a little more than 10 minutes of the second half, Las Vegas was only able to get two first downs after halftime.
Even without defensive tackle Aaron Donald to lead the Rams, the defense was still able to limit Carr in the passing game, whether it was from cornerback Jalen Ramsey or linebacker Bobby Wagner.
This was the fifth time this season that Las Vegas was limited to single digits after halftime, as it has led to seven one-possession losses.
Even despite having to scrap and prepare for a quarterback playing his first game for a team, the Raiders have to improve on their decision-making during halftime to continue to put up points on the board.
The Raiders will now have time to rest and prepare to take on New England at home on Dec. 18 in a game that was moved from Sunday Night Football to the afternoon slot at 1:25 p.m.
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