Gruden: Raiders’ Loss to Falcons ‘Inexcusable’
After transferring forward for a few weeks, the Las Vegas Raiders like taken two steps back, and this used to be a astronomical one.
Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and Younghoe Koo kicked 5 field goals because the Atlanta Falcons rolled to a 43-6 victory over the lackluster Raiders on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
This seemed nothing adore the Silver and Black team that almost beat the reigning Mountainous Bowl champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs for the 2d time this season closing week at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas sooner than shedding in the very most provocative minute.
“After we fetch hit in the mouth and fetch stopped on fourth down, and then fumble on the next play, we’ve got to fetch off the mat and fight back better,” Raiders Coach Jon Gruden told reporters after the game. “As a instructing staff and a football team, that’s something now we have to search at. It’s a mirrored image on me and I make an apology to Raider followers.
“Compliment the Atlanta Falcons. They performed a hell of a football game, and we didn’t. … It is inexcusable.”
The specter of closing season looms for the Raiders (6-5), who also like been 6-4 sooner than shedding 5 of their closing six games and lacking the 2019 playoffs.
Turnovers like been the story of this one, as well to the Raiders being unable to make the plenty of the supposedly leaky Falcons secondary, as Derek Carr misplaced three fumbles in the pocket and threw a 67-yard have-six to linebacker Deion Jones while working back Josh Jacobs misplaced but one more fumble.
“We had a substantial traipse which made him throw a harmful ball,” Jones stated. “It used to be leisurely the working back. I secured it. Once I got in the sure and build the ball up, I knew it used to be going dwelling.
“As a protection, as a team, we build all of it collectively. We performed properly collectively. We one scheme or the opposite build one on movie. We’ve got one to search at to grow from.
“(The 5 turnovers) used to be precise us searching the ball. We hadn’t had a ball in a couple of weeks. Guys like been hungry for it this week. We talked about it and it got right here to life.”
The Falcons (4-7) scored 20 points off the turnovers, including an eight-yard scoring traipse by Ito Smith for the closing touchdown with 10: 48 left in the game after Carr’s closing fumble.
Coach Dan Quinn used to be fired by the Falcons after a 0-5 originate, nonetheless Atlanta has won four of its closing six games beneath intervening time head coach Raheem Morris, who used to be an assistant beneath Gruden a few years in the past with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ryan, who appears to be destined for the Pro Soccer Hall of Fame, carried out 22-of-39 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, throwing four-yard scoring passes to broad receivers Calvin Ridley and Brandon Powell.
That places Ryan at 174 touchdown passes in his 13-year profession.
“(Protection) used to be the story of the day,” Ryan stated. “I belief our protection performed extraordinarily properly. Gave us a range of short field opportunities. All in all, it used to be a substantial team effort.”
Smith had 65 yards speeding on 12 carries and Brian Hill added 55 on 13 rushes because the Falcons managed the ball for 34 minutes, 27 seconds.
Ridley had six catches for 50 yards and the touchdown on fourth down, while Hayden Hurst caught four balls for 48 yards because the Falcons dominated the Raiders without two of their most provocative avid gamers—broad receiver Julio Jones and working back Todd Gurley.
“I belief it used to be massive and a substantial name by Raheem (on fourth down), an aggressive name to cross for it in that scenario,” Ryan stated. “You’re going to cross away them backed up when you don’t fetch it. We felt adore we had a honest play known as there.
“It took a runt bit time to compose. Gargantuan physique control by Calvin on the back of the conclude zone to beget of quit sooner than he used to be going to fetch hit. It used to be an massive play by him.”
Even though the uncooked numbers don’t necessarily hiss it, Carr had per chance his worst game of the season while completing 22-of-34 passes for 215 yards without a touchdown and throwing his third interception of the season. His three misplaced fumbles gave him six this season.
Carr used to get replaced by Nathan Peterman with 10: 48 left in the game.
“Very frustrating,” stated Carr, who stated he saw some harmful signs during the week. “Our week of note used to be no longer up to the similar old that now we like put.”
Jacobs led the Raiders with 27 yards on seven carries, nonetheless 17 got right here on the play on which he fumbled slack in the third quarter and he left the game thanks to an exact leg hurt he sustained on the play.
Hunter Renfrow led the Raiders with seven receptions for 73 yards, while Nelson Agholor had 5 for 54 and Henry Ruggs caught 5 for 54. The Falcons restricted tight conclude Darren Waller, Carr’s favorite receiver, to four receptions for 23 yards.
“Now we like a possibility to exit there and fight and in reality like that different to cross increase subsequent week,” Renfrow stated. “And I absorb it’s a honest different to enter (Fresh York), they beget of derailed our season closing year, and so what a possibility for us so as to cross there and fling fetch some redemption, per se.”
Linebacker Nicholas Morrow and security Jeff Heath each had 10 full tackles for the Raiders, while linebacker Reduce Kwiatkoski had six tackles, two for losses, and the Raiders’ handiest sack as well to having an interception nullified by a penalty.
The Raiders also like been penalized 11 times for 141 yards.
“We’ve had a couple of games the put aside now we like been penalized,” Gruden stated. “Roughing the passer, roughing the kicker, we had some retaining calls, illegal hands to the face. You descend leisurely in the down of distance, you give groups free shots, it’s a recipe for catastrophe and that’s what you saw nowadays.”
The Raiders twice had first-and-purpose contained in the Atlanta 5-yard-line nonetheless had to resolve for their handiest points on field goals of 24 and 29 yards by Daniel Carlson.
Koo’s field goals got right here from 38, 39, 40, 29, and 54 yards, and he has made his closing 21 without a miss. Koo in reality did miss broad left from 40 yards with 4: 30 left in the first half, nonetheless Dallin Levitt of the Raiders used to be penalized for roughing the kicker.
The Falcons, who never trailed, turned that fracture into Ryan’s four-yard scoring cross to Ridley for a 13-3 lead with 2: 17 left in the half.
On the opposite hand, the crusher got right here when Carr threw a temporary cross over the center supposed for working back Devonte Booker, handiest to love Jones minimize in entrance for the interception he took the total capacity to the dwelling for a 23-3 lead with 11: 36 left in the third quarter.
The Raiders tried to rally nonetheless may perchance well tackle handiest three more points, and issues handiest got worse.
The Raiders will strive to leap back and fracture their two-game shedding rush subsequent Sunday against the hapless Fresh York Jets (0-11) at MetLife Stadium on the Meadowlands Sports activities Complex in East Rutherford, N.J.
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