Josh McDaniels faces new blame for Raiders’ struggles after loss to Saints. But he’s not alone

What a disaster of a game the Raiders had against the Saints.

Las Vegas was blown away 24-0 on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans and drew widespread criticism from fans and former players alike.

What makes the loss even worse, the Saints defense was near the bottom of the NFL in giving up points. Yet, the Raiders could do hardly anything offensively.

It was a game the Raiders should’ve won, and needed to win, against a sub-.500 team. Yet, the Raiders are the ones being laughed at.

Embarrassed, Raiders?

“This was embarrassing,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “We can’t have that. That, right there, is embarrassing and it should never happen, especially with the group of guys in that locker room. It sucks that we went through it and it happened. We have to take a look at ourselves, though, and really check to see how we want to go into this next game.”

The Raiders are 2-5 with a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday. Another potentially winnable game, sure, but supposedly so, too, was the game against the Saints.

It was the first shutout that the franchise has endured since a 52-0 loss to the Rams in 2014.

Can the Raiders come back and turn around the season? Maybe. But they quickly are running out of time.

With five losses already, it’s getting more bleak as each week without a winning streak passes.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels sent out an apology to Raider Nation, but fans don’t want to hear any of that.

Many fans already had their minds made up about McDaniels’ future, and more moved toward firing him after the latest loss.

Raiders owner Mark Davis and McDaniels reportedly had a meeting after the game against the Saints.

Did Davis warn McDaniels that his job is on the line? No one knows, but his coaching seat should be at least getting very warm. if not outright hot.

The Raiders are coming off a playoff appearance last season, but their shot at a return to the postseason is quickly fading.

“If you want to point a finger, point it at me,” McDaniels said. “Obviously, I need to do a better job of getting us ready on game day.”

McDaniels is not helping his reputation as a head coach, dropping to 13-22. Is Davis ready to continue showing patience and support for McDaniels while believing that he’ll still prove to be a solid hire?

Results are needed now. After all, Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler made some big moves to improve the team in the offseason.

The Raiders again were expected to contend for a playoff spot and potentially make a deep postseason run after acquiring wide receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers and signing defensive end Chandler Jones in free agency.

But beyond the contributions of Adams. Josh Jacobs and Maxx Crosby through the first six weeks of the 2022 NFL schedule, it’s been mostly a lost season for the Raiders.

Could the Raiders shake up their roster as the trade deadline looms Nov. 1?

It’s always possible, with teams reportedly calling the Raiders about safety Johnathan Abram. Defensive end Clelin Ferrell was also mentioned.

Whatever it’s going to take, the Raiders need more from Carr, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller (hamstring injury) and the rest of the defensive group beyond Crosby.

“Just more urgency,” Carr said. “Urgency is the word. Urgency in the meetings, in the walk through. Competitive. No one is going to give you anything in this league. There is a hope that we are learning that. We learned that today. I hope that that’s the last time.”

What other Raiders are saying

Tight end Foster Moreau also vented his frustration.

“We have to come to work and take this next week and really evaluate ourselves (and) look in the mirror and come to work and get better,” he said.

Crosby sat in the locker room and took a minute to reflect on what just happened.

“Just disappointed,” he said. “I want to win, simple as that. I know these guys want to win. I know the coaches want to win. We got work to do.”

Said Renfrow: “We got to play better as a team. We know that, but the good thing is you know if you lose 24-0, it’s still a loss. Hopefully we can get as much as we can from this loss and use it for the future.”