There arguably hasn’t been a more frustrating and disappointing team during the 2022 season than the Las Vegas Raiders. They came into the season with some high expectations, looking to build off of a surprise trip to the playoffs at the end of the 2021 campaign.
They have fallen woefully short of those expectations and there is no one to blame but themselves. Las Vegas has blown three leads of at least 17 points this season, which has thrown their season into a tailspin.
Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars was the latest example. The Raiders led 17-0 in the second quarter and scored on four consecutive drives after a three-and-out to start the game on their first possession. In the second half of the game, they went ice-cold.
Las Vegas gained only 67 yards in the second half, which opened the door for the Jaguars to come from behind and steal a victory away. The performance drew the ire of star wide receiver Davante Adams, who did not mince his words when talking to reporters this week.
Adams believes that the Raiders got away from what was working in the first half when they built their lead and have to do a better job of staying the course when things are going well. He is putting none of the blame on the coaches as he believes the plays were there to be made and players just didn’t execute.
As an alpha receiver would say, Adams also believes that there needs to be a concerted effort to get him the ball more often. They cannot wait for him to be wide open to get targets as they acquired and pay him to make plays regardless of the situations that he is put in.
“At the end of the day, if we’re just going to concede and say, ‘Oh, they double-teamed Tae, so it’s forcing the ball to him if we threw it to him,’ then I’ve got no business being in this building because that’s what teams are going to do,” Adams said, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So, if you think that the only way I’m going to get the ball is when I’m singled up, then I’m going to have four catches on the year.”
Adams made sure to let it be known that he believes it is beautiful when the offense moves the ball without it being in his hands. However, when the going gets tough, as it did in the second half against the Jaguars, Adams believes more should be done to get him the ball.
That assessment likely is accurate. He is averaging just under 11 targets per game, but they are not always consistent. Adams has three games with at least targets, which makes up for more than half of his 85 targets on the season, which is third in the NFL.
