The Las Vegas Raiders had a bird in the hand. They had a fistful of cash. The Raiders had a season-changing victory in their back pocket on Thursday Night football against the Los Angeles Rams.

Instead of finishing, they folded.

The Rams put together a 98-yard drive in under two minutes against the Raiders' defense to take the lead in the final seconds. The offense in the second half played way too conservatively.

That being said, their defense had the chance to put the nail in the coffin on that final drive.

All Las Vegas had to do was stop a subpar offense led by a quarterback that had only been with the team for two days. The Raiders' defensive coaching staff and roster failed.

Former Super Bowl winning coach Wade Phillips had some harsh words for their play-calling on defense late in the game. 

Really unbelievable that Raiders would be in pressman with no deep help and with 6 point lead!!

— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) December 9, 2022

He's completely right, too.

The decisions by the defensive staff made no sense. The Rams were playing QB Baker Mayfield. The Raiders were getting consistent pressure on him with their defensive line.

Why would you choose to play press with the game on the line and very little time left?

That placed way too much pressure on their own secondary. It was unnecessary and hurt their chances. The Raiders simply could have backed into a zone and forced Mayfield to thread the needle to complete a pass for a touchdown.

Las Vegas simply made it too easy for them and opened the door for the collapse.

That's exactly what happened, and a great in NFL coaching history called them out for it.

Featured Image via USA TODAY-Sports