Raiders collapsing once again shows demons also traveled to Las Vegas
Regardless of location, the Raiders franchise has now collapsed in back to back seasons.
When the then-Oakland Raiders left the Black Hole, they departed for Las Vegas and the famed Death Star known as Allegiant Stadium. However, both locations were known for disappointing endings and the same is ditto for the franchise. In back-to-back seasons, the Raiders have had a strong record before fading in the final weeks of the season and missing the playoffs.
Outside of a magical run in 2016 where the franchise finished 12-4 and lost in the Wild Card Round, the team has gone 70-104 since 2010, including a current 7-7 record this season. In the time since Jon Gruden has reentered the facility, his Silver and Black squad have a record of 18-28.
This includes Thursday night’s defeat to potential Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. Had it not been for a questionable decision from the Jets defense, Vegas would have gone from 6-3 to 6-8 with five consecutive losses.
Both sides of the ball have regressed. Outside of their fast start and two impressive games played against the reigning champion Kansas City Cheifs, one of which resulted in KC’s only defeat this season, Vegas has resembled a team that continues to bet the pot despite being advised to fold and salvage their loot.
The Raiders collapse further dooms their playoff chances yet again.
The second consecutive season in which a collapse has occurred makes it hard on the fans and for good reason. Following their loss in Super Bowl XXXVII to ironically Gruden and the Buccaneers, the franchise has had 10 head coaches including Bill Callahan in the 2003 season before he was dismissed. With Gruden still under his 10-year contract, rest assured that he will not be going anywhere.
Additionally, the firing of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther now leaves a void in a spot for a defensive play-caller. The one who takes that role remains to be seen but will be tasked with bringing the intensity back, which has not been Gruden’s MO. On the flip side, the offense is struggling themselves and given how the head coach is known for his offense, the head-scratching continues.
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The saying “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” is perfectly applicable to this appalling situation. Given how the rest of the season is currently projected, it may be appropriate to say that the Raiders will once again be looking in on the outside. You can take the team away from a city, but removing the losing habits is a far greater task that has not been accomplished so far in Sin City.