The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a 1-2 start following a 23-18 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and they could be headed for another dismal season.
Last year, they had new acquisition Davante Adams, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but they blew multiple leads and sagged to a 6-11 record.
Adams made some poignant comments after Sunday’s loss about the direction of the team, and head coach Josh McDaniels didn’t really disagree with him, per ProFootballTalk.
Josh McDaniels: I understand exactly where Davante Adams is coming from. https://t.co/xufK8hM4tY
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 25, 2023
“I mean at some point you want to have it instead of be learning it,” McDaniels said in his press conference. “I think we’re all trying to compete and win. I know where he’s coming from, and I think we have a lot of guys that are coming from that same perspective. And it’s frustrating when you put a lot into it and you don’t get the results you’re looking for.
Adams is playing brilliantly so far this season — he ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, and he tallied 172 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions versus the Steelers.
However, the Raiders’ running game has been very weak, and their defense hasn’t been able to pick up the slack.
They traded for Adams during the 2022 offseason in a stunning deal with the Green Bay Packers after he had failed to come to terms with Green Bay on a new contract.
He had just helped Green Bay reach back-to-back NFC Championship Games, and the expectation was that he would turn the long-suffering Raiders into winners right away.
They have made the playoffs just twice since the 2002 season, when they lost in the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they haven’t won it all since the 1983 campaign.
One has to wonder if wholesale changes may be made this spring if Las Vegas misses the playoffs yet again, especially with running back Josh Jacobs’ impending free agency after the conclusion of this season.
NEXT: Davante Adams Has Strong Reaction To Raiders' Bad Start
