The Las Vegas Raiders' 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 5 was bad, with the team outplayed in all three phases. Still, the Raiders are in a better position than most expected entering the season under first-time coach Klint Kubiak. At 3-2, they would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and they have scored 25-plus points in four of five games. The defense has recorded the second-most takeaways in the NFL with 10.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby said the loss was bad for everyone involved. "I think this team is resilient," he said Wednesday. "We love being around each other, and we expect to be a lot better this week." The Raiders face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at 4:25 ET on CBS, and they need significant improvements on both sides of the ball to show Week 5 was an outlier.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins, 38, has played well overall, throwing for 1,269 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions with a 65.1% completion rate. He did not have his finest outing against New England, however, missing open targets and holding the ball too long. Kubiak expressed confidence in him, calling Cousins the starter. Las Vegas ranks ninth in points per game (26) despite struggling to run the ball, which has put heavy weight on the passing game.
The young secondary has also shown growing pains. Rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 2 with two interceptions, but in the past three games he has allowed nine catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders are working through these adjustments as their young players adapt to the pro level.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing