Last Week: Chiefs 30, Raiders 29
The Raiders played their best game of their season and produced far more big plays than the archrival Chiefs on Monday Night Football, but it wasn’t enough. Las Vegas fell to 1-4 after blowing a three-score lead (a 17-0 start this time around) for the second time this season. A failed two-point conversion attempt with 4:27 remaining, in which running back Josh Jacobs came up inches short, was the difference, but the Raiders had one more chance late. They appeared to get into field goal range with a long completion to Davante Adams—who already had two touchdowns on deep passes—before the officials ruled the superstar receiver didn’t have control of the ball before stepping out of bounds upon review. That brought up a 4th-and-1 play with 47 seconds remaining, and … Adams and Hunter Renfrow ran into each other as a Derek Carr pass fell incomplete. Las Vegas became the first team in NFL history to lose despite producing a 150-yard rusher (Jacobs) and a 100-yard receiver (Adams), committing no turnovers and punting fewer than three times, according to OptaStats.
This Week: Bye
Las Vegas is among the first set of teams to get its bye week this season, alongside the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions. It’s usually considered unappealing for a team to get its bye this early in the season. A break is typically more useful later in the year when teams are more beaten-up after from the weekly grind of the NFL. It’s a bad break for the Raiders, which were mostly healthy going into Kansas City. Tight end Darren Waller exited early in the game with a hamstring injury, but it’s the same nagging issue he’s dealt with dating back to last year and not considered serious. The other three most notable Raiders looking to heal up on the bye week are linebacker Jayon Brown (who missed the Chiefs’ game with a hamstring injury), tight end Foster Moreau (who has missed the last two games with a knee injury) and cornerback Anthony Averett (who is eligible to come off injured reserve after suffering a broken thumb in Week 1). In another stroke of relative misfortune, the Raiders return to action against another rested opponent (the Texans) October 23 at 1 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium.
AFC West Watch: The Raiders head into their bye three games back in the standings, but the good news is they’re not favored to fall any further behind. The first-place Chiefs (4-1) will play their toughest game of the season in Week 6, hosting the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills as 3-point underdogs. The second-place Chargers (3-2) and third-place Broncos (2-3) face each other on Monday Night Football. It will be difficult for the Raiders to rebound after their rough start, but not impossible. With all their losses coming by less than a touchdown, Las Vegas isn’t the typical 1-4 team. It’s still priced around the middle of the league by the betting market with a 25% implied probability of reaching the playoffs for the second straight year.
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