Josh McDaniels, Penalties Sink Raiders’ Season in Stunning Fashion vs. Baker Mayfield

In something out of a Hollywood script, Baker Mayfield joined the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday and delivered an epic comeback win on Thursday. That’s going to be the topic of conversation heading into the weekend, and rightfully so. However, Mayfield’s signature drive overshadows the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders blew a game they should have won.

Poor decision-making by head coach Josh McDaniels gave Mayfield and the Rams one last chance. Dumb penalties extended their opportunity. Las Vegas’ three-game winning streak is over as is, most likely, its playoff chances.

The Raiders have no one but themselves to blame.

What Mayfield did on Thursday was incredible, and perhaps unprecedented.

The 2018 No. 1 overall pick had some understandably shaky moments, but he played extremely well considering the short amount of time he’s been a Ram. He finished 22-of-35 for 230 yards and a game-winning touchdown.

That score came after engineering a 98-yard drive with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts. He capped it with a laser strike to Van Jefferson in the end zone.

That’s incredible stuff, but realistically, Mayfield and the Rams should have never had a chance in this one. Las Vegas took a 13-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. The lead probably should have been larger.

McDaniels called an extremely conservative game against the Rams, opting to ride the running game and settle for field goals. Quarterback Derek Carr attempted just 20 passes, while the Raiders rushed 38 times as a team.

Perhaps McDaniels didn’t trust Carr, who did toss a pair of interceptions, or perhaps he didn’t respect L.A.’s ability to put points on the board. Either way, going conservative was the wrong call.

The Raiders scored a touchdown on their opening drive and didn’t find the end zone again.

McDaniels was especially timid late in the game. He opted to kick a field goal on 4th-and-3 from the Rams 18-yard line in the fourth quarter. After L.A. scored on the ensuing drive, McDaniels chose to punt on 4th-and-1 when a first down would have sealed it.

Of course, the loss wasn’t entirely on McDaniels. Penalties—the Raiders had seven of them for 94 yards—absolutely doomed Las Vegas. The Rams’ final drive was kept alive by an Amik Robinson pass interference penalty and a Jerry Tillery unsportsmanlike conduct call.

And Las Vegas’ defense on that final 98-yard drive was simply atrocious. Los Angeles didn’t have its top weapon in Cooper Kupp (injured reserve, ankle) and still drove nearly the length of the field.

Raiders defenders failed to execute, but defensive coordinator Patrick Graham doesn’t get off the hook. His decision to play press coverage at the end of the drive instead of protecting the end zone surprised even Mayfield.

“To be honest with you I was completely shocked they would line up in press coverage with 15 seconds left,” Mayfield said on the Amazon postgame segment.

The offense deserves some blame too. Carr didn’t have a great game, or even a good game, and his interception in the end zone on a badly floated ball was a backbreaker.

Carr’s second interception came on Las Vegas’ desperation drive at the end of the game and was largely inconsequential.

If Carr doesn’t throw the first pick, if the Raiders don’t play not to lose late, if their defense doesn’t draw multiple flags on the game-winning drive, Las Vegas wins this game.

However, this wasn’t a game decided by bad fortune. It was another sign of what has become a problematic trend in Las Vegas this season. The Raiders have repeatedly blown big leads under McDaniels.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Las Vegas is only the fourth team to blow four leads of 13 or more points in the same season.

According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the Raiders are the first team “since at least 1930” to lose four games when leading by at least 10 points at halftime.

Oh, and Las Vegas’ previous loss came against the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Jeff Saturday—who debuted in that game with no previous NFL coaching experience.

What’s likely most frustrating for Raiders fans is that this isn’t a bad football team. From Carr, Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams to Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, it’s loaded with Pro Bowl-caliber talent.

Talent alone doesn’t win games, though, which is why McDaniels has come under fire in his first season as the Raiders’ head coach.

Franchise owner Mark Davis offered up his support for McDaniels after Las Vegas started the season 2-7.

“I like Josh. I think he’s doing a fantastic job,” Davis said, per Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You have to look at where we came from and where we’re going.”

After 2-7 became 5-7, it felt like Davis’ faith in McDaniels was justified. It feels less so after Thursday’s loss. The Raiders had a sloppy, uninspired performance against a team with little to play for, and it likely cost them any chance at the postseason.

Their final four games won’t be easy. They host the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs with a road trip to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.

Yet, a 4-0 run to finish the season isn’t entirely unrealistic. The Patriots and Steelers are average teams, the 49ers have lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Chiefs may have no reason to play their starters in the finale.

Due to Thursday’s loss, though—and due to Las Vegas’ other baffling losses this season—4-0 probably won’t matter. The Raiders can now finish, at best, 9-8. That’s just not going to be good enough in a deep AFC.

Credit Mayfield for ripping the Raiders’ hearts out on a national stage, but he’s not the reason Las Vegas isn’t a playoff team. The Raiders simply aren’t disciplined enough, aggressive enough or well-coached enough to make a run this season.