The Las Vegas Raiders have displayed a competent offense and defense for the most part of the season, yet they’re 1-4 heading into their BYE week. Moreover, that loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was their fourth by one score or less.
Notably, the Raiders let a 14-0 lead slip right through their fingers. They also had a chance to tie the game with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter, yet they made an uber-aggressive and somewhat questionable call.
Instead of tying the game with an extra point attempt, the Raiders put the ball on Josh Jacobs‘ hands to attempta two-point conversion. He was stuffed short of the goal line, and the rest is history.
NFL News: Josh McDaniels Explains Why Raiders Went For Two In Loss To Chiefs
“I felt like in that situation, [Kansas City] had a lot of momentum offensively, obviously in the second half,” HC Josh McDaniels told ESPN. “We had a play that we felt really good about. I thought we would get a look that gave us a shot at it.”
Notably, both Josh Jacobs and Derek Carr agreed with McDaniels’ decision to go for the win instead of tying the game. They knew what was at stake, this being a divisional game and with their 1-3 record on the line:
“That’s what we wanted,” Jacobs said after the game. “We knew we was going to be in that situation. It’s crazy, all week we were talking about third-and-1s, fourth-and-1s, 2-point play.”
“When I got the ball and the safety shot the hole, I knew it was going to be hairy. I really blame myself because I could have reached the ball over,” the Alabama product added. “I know we harp on not reaching the ball, but that was a situation where it wouldn’t have mattered if I did. So, I’ll just put that on my shoulders. I could have reached the ball over.”
“I liked it, I like being aggressive, especially on the road, I’m all on board,” Carr said. “When we scored, I was excited, but I was already telling people, ‘Hey, 2!’ And then I looked at Josh [McDaniels], and he said it in my headset … from my view, I thought Josh [Jacobs] was in. I thought his knee stayed off the ground. I mean, we’re this close from being up 31-30.”
The Raiders are a long shot at makingthe playoffs right now, but at least they’ve shown signs of improvement every week. More than that, it’s clear that the players trust and believe in Josh McDaniels, which can go a long way in this league.
