The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-2 after losing to the New England Patriots, and it was easily the worst loss of the Klint Kubiak era. We’re only a few games into the season, but I think the Raiders needed this loss.

Las Vegas needed to be humbled. The Raiders needed a reminder that they are still an up-and-coming team with a long way to go. Winning isn’t just about the first three weeks. It’s about the entire season. However, some things in the game still need to be addressed, and the running game is at the top of that list.

Why didn’t Mike Washington Jr. get more carries?

Running back Ashton Jeanty was questionable going into the game, and he played. Jeanty has said he’s still not fully healthy, but he’s getting there. On Friday, the injury report showed he’s been dealing with a foot and ankle injury.

So, you had to think that even if Jeanty suited up, rookie Mike Washington Jr., the second running back on the depth chart, would get a lot of work. Instead, Washington got just one carry. Why wouldn’t you feed the healthy guy in that room? Why keep feeding the guy who isn’t? I have no idea. Dylan Laube even got more carries than Washington.

Kubiak was asked why Washington didn’t get more work, and he admitted that he abandoned the run game too fast.

“I needed to stay with the run,” Kubiak said.

I think there’s more to it than that. Laube still got more touches than Washington. Granted, a lot of that came later in the game, but you still have to get your rookie acclimated to how NFL defenses play. If Washington is ever going to lead the backfield when Jeanty misses time, he’ll need reps. At this point, the Raiders are getting close to just throwing him into the fire if that day ever comes. He needs more work than he’s gotten the last two weeks.

To be fair, Washington has his own issues. He dances around too much at times, and he doesn’t always hit gaps explosively. But we’ve also seen him turn nothing into something as well as any running back the Raiders have had in the last few years. His touchdown a few weeks ago is the perfect example. That play probably should have been a tackle for loss, and he took it to the end zone instead. So why he didn’t get more touches, I don’t know. It’s something the Raiders need to address.

Raiders run game has been putrid

Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders ran the ball 26 times for just 72 yards. Against the Patriots, it wasn’t any better. Las Vegas ran the ball just 18 times for 38 yards.

That won’t cut it, especially against one of the best teams in the AFC. New England just beat the Buffalo Bills in a shootout the week before. You have to run the ball better against a team like that. But the run game’s production isn’t the biggest takeaway from this game.

You just hope this team learns from this loss on offense, defense, and special teams, then comes back better next week. This is still a decent football team, and it’s worlds better than what we’ve seen in Las Vegas the last few years.

Will there be some bumps and bruises along the way? Yes. Will there be some moments that make you scratch your head? Yes. The Raiders are young, with a rookie head coach and many rookies and young players on the roster. Either way, how they respond to this loss will say a lot about where this team is headed.