The Las Vegas Raiders followed up their Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with another heartbreaking defeat. The Raiders notched their tenth defeat of the season after losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 37-34, in overtime at home in Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. Las Vegas held a double-digit lead at one point in the second half but collapsed again. This result pulled the Raiders down to 6-10, which places them in third place in the AFC West. it also officially booted them out of postseason contention. Here we'll discuss the four Raiders most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the 49ers.
The Raiders attempted to take advantage of a rare poor performance from the 49ers defense. However, they were unable to do so, at least not completely. Keep in mind that Las Vegas has lost three of its past four games. This was also their fifth loss of the season after holding a double-digit lead in the second half. That sets a dubious NFL record.
The Raiders took a 17-14 lead at halftime when relief QB Jarrett Stidham threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams, who managed to keep both feet inbounds while making the catch in the end zone. This play made Adams the eighth receiver in NFL history with at least three seasons of catching 13 or more touchdowns. Las Vegas then extended its lead to 24-14 early in the third quarter when Stidham connected with Adams for a 60-yard touchdown. However, they left the door open for a 49ers comeback, which is exactly what happened.
For now, let us look at the four Raiders most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the 49ers.
All out team effort. pic.twitter.com/7kPRvI5LQ4
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 2, 2023
4. OT Kolton Miller
Offensive tackle Kolton Miller had two poor moments in this game. He was beaten badly on a failed 4th-and-inches attempt near the goal line. That caused the play called by McDaniels to fail. The Raiders may have been better off trying a different play, such as a QB sneak, but Miller's mistake sealed their fate. He also allowed 49ers DE Nick Bosa to bull-rush him into Stidham in overtime. This led to Stidham's OT interception and the Raiders' loss.
3. Raiders Secondary
The Raiders secondary struggled in this game, particularly CB Amik Robertson and FS Tre'von Moehrig.
While Robertson's performance was not the worst of the game, he represented the defense's overall collapse. He had an interception in the first half that preserved the Raiders' 24-21 lead. However, he was burned by 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk for 23 yards on a drive that followed Carlson's 57-yard field goal. He just gave Aiyuk too much room throughout the game. On the same drive, Robertson was also hit hard and sent tumbling by 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. That set up a San Francisco touchdown with a spectacular catch and run.
Meanwhile, Moehrig had a forgettable performance. He allowed one reception for 28 yards and was also flagged for pass interference. Take note that this was his fourth penalty in the past five games. He also earned a subpar 52.8 grade from PFF against the run. Moehrig has just not looked comfortable in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham's system all season. Now, the Raiders will need to find more help at the safety position in the offseason.
2. Raiders Run Defense
The Las Vegas defense struggled against the run, allowing San Francisco to rush for 170 total yards and 6.3 yards per carry.
The team's linebackers, particularly Luke Masterson, played a significant role in this struggle. They were consistently over-pursuing and leaving wide rushing lanes for McCaffery and other 49ers to run through. This led to Masterson earning the sixth-lowest PFF run defense grade (38.2) among linebackers before Monday Night Football.
With the Raiders suffering from a number of injuries at the linebacker position, this was a missed opportunity for Masterson to build momentum heading into the offseason. This was disappointing, as he had performed well in the past two games against the Rams and Patriots.
1. Coach Josh McDaniels
It seemed almost certain that the Raiders would lose when they took a double-digit lead in the second half. For most of this season, Las Vegas fans just had this curse-like feeling looming over their heads.
However, head coach Josh McDaniels bears much of the responsibility for this collapse and the team's inability to finish. It was particularly painful here after the offense scored on their first possession of the second half. Afterward, their next three drives combined for only 14 plays and 56 yards, ending with two punts and an interception. They only ran three plays in the opponent's territory, never going further than the 49ers' 46-yard line.
While the Raiders did score on their last two drives of the fourth quarter, many of those plays were the result of Stidham making something out of nothing. In a way, those indicated that the play-calling remained too predictable. That's on the head coach.
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