Raiders’ quick slants: Buccaneers edition

Make that nine-straight defeats for Antonio Pierce and his Las Vegas Raiders.

Despite a spirited effort where the Silver & Black fell behind a double-digit deficit quickly — again — to come back swinging to get within 14-10 of the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas lost starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell to a knee injury and absorbed yet another defeat — this time a 28-13 road loss on Sunday afternoon.

In game where things could’ve gone supremely south after watching the Bucs roll to a 14-0 lead and in a season full of disappointment, the Raiders showed fight. But, once O’Connell went down — on a late shove that wasn’t called after he threw the ball that led to him getting his knee wrapped and carted off — Las Vegas eventually ran out of gas.

“The guys responded, obviously,” Crosby said in the the locker room post game. “It was not the start we wanted, but we went out there and found a way to make it a game again. It’s a testament to everybody in here.” We have to find ways to keep improving, but I thought we did a pretty damn good job of responding to adversity. … It was good to see guys going out there hunting.”

Sincere McCormick is showing that his breakout performance in Week 13 wasn’t a fluke as he galloped for 78 yards on 15 carries (a robust 5.2 yards per carry average) including a burst of 29 yards that gives you a glimpse of what kind of running back he truly is. (Also makes you wonder if this is what the USTA product has been showing every day in practice — as Pierce noted — why did it take so long for the team to give the rock to the youngster?).

Las Vegas rookie phenom of a tight end, Brock Bowers, etched his name in NFL history books by hauling in his 87th catch of the year, surpassing the mark the Detroit Lions Sam LaPorta set last season with 86 receptions as a rookie.

The only lingering question from Sunday’s loss to the Bucs is this: Why only five targets resulting in three receptions for 49yards for the sensational rookie?

That said, with four games left, Bowers and the Raiders have an opportunity to create even more distance and stack onto those receptions totals to perhaps put it out of reach of years to come.

(Of note: Check out Bowers sharp words in the Quotes of Note portion below. Bowers is usually the quiet and reserved type which makes his words even more impactful).

Defensively, K’Lavon Chaisson is playing some of the best football of his five-year career as he had half a sack and a nifty deflection of a pass that he picked off as he was heading towards the ground. The 25-year-old is of that classic Raiders mold of first-round reclamation projects that finds new life in Silver & Black.

The Raiders roster is decimated with injury and losing O’Connell and Gardner Minshew results in Desmond Ridder and Carter Bradley (practice squad) being the only two healthy signal callers on the roster at the moment. But as quickly as folk use that as a crutch for Las Vegas, it can be swiftly kicked out from underneath as a depleted roster isn’t relegated to just the Silver & Black.

And another defeat in a season full of them, it’s difficult to ignore Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce habitually making coaching and game management mistakes. He’s 12 games in and there should’ve been some inventory and learning from gaffes, but Pierce continues to make them. Pierce’s Raiders went from smoking cigars to blowing chances and it’s the head honcho who is making awful mistakes, too.

“It’s upsetting,” Crosby noted. “We want to win at all costs. We have to find ways to keep getting better, that’s all we can do. We’re 2-11 and we have a lot of room to improve and … yeah, that’s all we can do.”

Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as the Bucs created separation in the final quarter Sunday:

—O’Connell finished 11 of 19 for 104 yards with one interception and one rushing touchdown. He was sacked once by Tampa’s defense. Ridder, meanwhile, finished 12 of 18 for 101 yards absorbing one sack while having zero touchdowns or interceptions (although his errant throw was picked off but reversed upon review).

—Five different Raiders got a notch in the sack column: Cornerback Darnay Holmes (one); defensive tackle Adam Butler (one), linebacker Amari Burney (one); while safety Tre’von Moehrig and defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson split a sack.

—Las Vegas place kicker Daniel Carlson was 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts (shorter ones with the longest being a 27-yard boot) as he somewhat atoned for the 1-for-4 effort in Week 13.

—Tight end Michael Mayer and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers paced the Raiders air attack with seven catches for 68 yards and seven receptions for 67 yards, respectively. Bowers contributed three catches for 49 yards.

—Tampa Bay rookie receiver Jalen McMillan led all pass catchers with two touchdown grabs. Running back Rachaad White caught the other lone TD pass. Tight end Cade Otton paced the Bucs receivers with three grabs for 70 yards including a 44-yard fourth-quarter reception that helped Tampa break Las Vegas’ back.

Quotes of Note:

“We can’t get used to this. That’s just nothing something to get used to. Just coming in and being like, ‘Oh man, this again’ We can’t get used to that. We’ve just got to keep trying to grind and figure out what works.” —Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers

“Appreciate the effort, the grit, the fight. Listen, it’s tough and these guys, they’re not flinching. … They still believe. Again, got the ball right down there at the end of the game. ... These guys compete their asses off. Nobody wants to get off the field.” —Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce