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The Las Vegas Raiders had an opportunity to pull off the improbable. Few expected them to beat the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, but after three sloppy quarters from both teams, they were in position to do just that.
Late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Aidan O’Connell and the Raiders offense ended up with two chances to either tie the score or take the lead. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce’s third consecutive win since taking over for the fired Josh McDaniels was right there for the taking. Beating the two New York teams at home was one thing, but winning this game would’ve put it in clear terms that the Raiders were to be taken seriously.
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The two drives would start in promising fashion, but each ended with an O’Connell interception in what would become a 20-13 loss. While one can spin going down to the wire with an AFC contender as a positive sign for the Raiders (5-6), that’s not how they are viewing it. As they continue their push to turn the season around, they see it as a game they should’ve won and allowed to slip through their grasp.
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“We played hard,” Pierce said. “Does that get you W’s? No. There are no moral victories.”
When the Raiders took over at their own 13-yard line down seven points with 6:21 left to play, there wasn’t much reason for optimism. After all, they’d gained just two first downs since receiver Davante Adams hauled in a 46-yard bomb from O’Connell in the first quarter.
DAVANTE. ADAMS.#LVvsMIA | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/7avWnIHEaG
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 19, 2023
Suddenly, though, there was life. On second-and-10, O’Connell found receiver Jakobi Meyers on an out route, and he turned it upfield for a 24-yard gain. Two plays later, receiver Hunter Renfrow took a short pass for a 31-yard chunk. Just like that, the Raiders were at the Dolphins’ 28 and looked to be in business.
But the next four plays couldn’t have gone much worse. On first down, O’Connell was sacked. He gained some yardage back on a quick throw to Renfrow on second down, but nearly threw an interception on third down. On fourth-and-6, O’Connell couldn’t find anyone open, was nearly sacked and was intercepted by edge rusher Jaelan Phillips while attempting to throw the ball downfield.
Despite the deflating sequence, the Raiders got a do-over after their defense forced a Dolphins punt with just under two minutes remaining. It wasn’t an ideal situation — the Raiders were pinned at their own 7-yard line with no timeouts remaining — but there was enough time to make something happen.
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For a moment, it looked like they had a shot. Seemingly unfazed by his previous interception, his second of the game, O’Connell completed five of his first seven passes for 54 yards to lead the offense to the Miami 39-yard line with 49 seconds remaining.
Following an incompletion on first-and-10, O’Connell saw an opportunity to let it rip. He dropped back and fired a deep ball toward receiver Tre Tucker — but it was picked off by a leaping Jalen Ramsey for the game-sealing interception.
JALEN RAMSEY CALLED GAME #LVvsMIA pic.twitter.com/7SgxrjARCO
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
The finish was the latest chapter in what has been a familiar storyline this season: the Raiders’ inept offense letting down their timely defense.
“We’ve just got to execute better,” O’Connell said after his 24-for-41 passing day for 271 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. “We can’t turn the ball over. It’s really on us at the end of the day to do our job better, me in particular. It’s just frustrating.”
The Raiders defense gave up its fair share of plays on the way to allowing 422 total yards and 6.2 yards per play, but it consistently stepped up at vital moments. The defense forced three Miami turnovers, including two in Dolphins territory. It held Miami to a 3-for-11 clip on third down. After allowing two touchdowns in the first half, the Raiders gave up just six points in the second. In the fourth quarter, they held the Dolphins scoreless.
“I’m proud of the guys,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “We kept fighting. … We preach staying together and playing for each other. No matter what it was, no matter what situation we were in, nobody blinked. We stayed tight as a unit. … That’s what you’re looking for in a defense.”
Considering they were going against a Dolphins offense that entered the contest as the NFL’s most productive, the Raiders defense should be pleased with itself. It played well enough to get the win.
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Pierce’s decisions to tab Bo Hardegree as the interim offensive coordinator and bench Jimmy Garoppolo for O’Connell received resounding praise after the offense put up 30 points against the Giants in Week 9, but the unit has cooled off significantly since. The Raiders have scored a total of 29 points over the last two weeks, Hardegree’s play calling has been questionable and O’Connell has been far too careless with the football.
“We’re not freaking out,” Adams said. “We just have to stay together and find a way to convert better.”
That said, the offense has still been better than it was with McDaniels and Garoppolo leading the way. Through the first eight games this year, the Raiders averaged 15.8 points (30th in the league) and 268.3 yards (31st) per game. In the last three weeks, they’ve averaged 19.7 points (T-17th) and 301.3 yards (16th). Still, it’s a unit that looks to be average at best.
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The Raiders’ playoff hopes aren’t dead. While Sunday’s loss in Miami was a tough one, it didn’t kill their spirit.
“I think something like this can bring people together or divide,” Renfrow said. “In the past, I think maybe it could’ve divided us, but I think this is going to bring us closer. We care about each other in this locker room.”
The Raiders face an uphill battle going into a challenging slate of games. It’s more than fair to question whether the offense is good enough to get them where they want to go. When the Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday, they’ll need much more from their offense to swing an upset win and remain in the postseason hunt entering their Week 13 bye.
“At the end of the day, we’re right in the mix,” Crosby said. “We can’t get down. We’ve got to stay together.”
The Raiders let one get away in Miami. They don’t have the margin for error to let that happen again.
(Photo of Maxx Crosby: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
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