Oakland Raiders Rumors: Dennis Allen’s seat gets hotter

Oakland Raiders wide receiver James Jones called today’s game against the Miami Dolphins in London a “must win”, and it’s hard not to agree with him when looking at the mental context of today’s game. If the Raiders can’t beat the Dolphins, then they will slide into an 0-4 hole that will put an even stronger damper on a season that began with so much optimism thanks to a bevy of veteran offseason signings and an excellent draft. Derek Carr and Khalil Mack have certainly looked like franchise players, but the team as a whole is bereft of true difference-makers. The running game itself looks like a disaster with underperforming backs in Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden failing to make an impact, though there’s still hope yet due to their individual talent.

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Raiders head coach Dennis Allen was nearly fired last year, but owner Mark Davis was wise not to set the precedent of being the next Al Davis, which would have likely scared away top coaches. Davis, however, is unsurprisingly thoroughly unimpressed with the Raiders putrid start to the season, and the Allen rumors are swirling as fiercely as ever.

Per league sources close to CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora, Davis has “continued to discuss” firing Allen and GM Reggie McKenzie with those close to him, and Davis could fire Allen over the bye week if the Dolphins prevail today. Allen could very well be coaching for his job, though McKenzie remains safe since it’s too hard to fire GMs in the middle of a season (it also doesn’t do a whole lot of good). Per La Canfora, offensive coordinator Greg Olson is the favorite to take over as the interim coach if Allen is fired.