Klint Kubiak’s Las Vegas Raiders continue to do what past regimes have not been able to do despite just losing a close one to the Bills
The Las Vegas Raiders are now 3-3 after losing to the Buffalo Bills, but there’s no need to throw the towel in.
“Close. Games. Out.” That seemed to be the theme of the postgame press conference Las Vegas Raiders rookie head coach Klint Kubiak held after a narrow loss to the Buffalo Bills. He’s frustrated, and he should be, because his team has had a chance to win every game this season besides last week against the Patriots.
And they had that opportunity this Sunday against the Bills. They lost 33-30. But poor execution on their last defensive drive and their second-to-last offensive drive cost them the game. Now, the Raiders are 3-3 after starting the season 3-0. That will surely have fans upset and doubting the team’s direction. Three steps forward and three steps back will have some throwing their hands up and looking for answers.
But it’s important to remember where this team stands.
Raiders are still ahead of schedule despite loss to Bills
This is a rebuild. Last season, they won 3 of 17 games. The year before that, they won four games. This is a process. They won’t be competing for Super Bowls right away. If I’m not mistaken, in the offseason, most fans measured success this season by how the team looks on the field compared with years past.
Fans said success this year looks like competent football and a team that competes in every game. And fans said success would be winning around six games. That is very much still doable. It’s important to remember all of that. Because this team is already doing what past regimes haven’t been able to do—they’re in every single game, excluding last week, of course.
This team is already competing at levels we haven’t seen since maybe 2021, when they last made the playoffs. So I challenge the fan base to remember that, live up to it, and then declare that your team should trade away star players or fire Kubiak. Last season and the year before, the Raiders would have been blown out by 30 against this Bills team.
