The Las Vegas Raiders have looked like one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams over the past couple of weeks.
On Sunday, however, Las Vegas made too many mistakes and fell short against the Indianapolis Colts 23-20.
The loss drops the Raiders to 7-9 on the season, ensuring that interim coach Antonio Pierce won’t help the team finish above .500.
It also means that Las Vegas has been officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Though they’ll have one more game to play this season, the Raiders can officially start eyeing 2024.
Here’s what we learned during the Raiders’ Week 17 loss to the Colts.
Impressive wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs helped give interim coach Antonio Pierce an impressive resume for the permanent job.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Saturday that franchise owner Mark Davis is “increasingly impressed” with the job Pierce has done since replacing Josh McDaniels.
Sunday’s game was a step in the wrong direction for Pierce.
The Colts are a playoff-caliber team, and the game was close, but the defense struggled after having back-to-back stellar outings against the Chargers and Chiefs.
Indianapolis finished with 349 offensive yards, and it produced several chunk plays—including a 58-yard Alec Pierce touchdown grab—along the way.
With the Raiders offense once again looking average at best, Las Vegas couldn’t come up with the road win.
This doesn’t mean that Pierce can’t or won’t still get the full-time gig, but it puts the brakes on the momentum he developed over the previous two weeks.
It would behoove the Raiders—and any NFL team, really—to pair their next quarterback with a strong running game. They may have to do it without Josh Jacobs, who has struggled on the ground this season and who is slated to be a 2024 free agency.
The past couple of weeks have suggested that second-year back Zamir White might just be the answer. Against the Chargers and Chiefs, he tallied 214 combined rushing yards and a touchdown.
Against the Colts, though, White averaged just 3.5 yards per carry while leading a ground attack that totaled just 84 yards.
Indianapolis, for reference, came into Sunday ranked 18th in net yards per rush allowed and 28th in rushing yards allowed.
Backs like D’Andre Swift, Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard might interest the Raiders in free agency, though this feels like a position to target in the draft.
The Bleacher Report Scouting Department recently ranked four running backs—including Florida State’s Trey Benson—inside of its top 100 draft prospects.
