5 Things That Went wrong for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021

#5 Choosing the wrong quarterback

It s no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders started the wrong quarterback at the beginning of the season- Derek Carr. Now, the horrible season wasn't entirely his fault, especially since he managed to stay healthy through most of the year, but he was never able to get the most out of his offense.

Whether it was his wide receivers or his running backs, Carr s gameplay very much relied on someone to relieve him when he was having bad luck. Of course, that strategy worked on occasion, but Carr just looked outclassed too many times to deserve a spot on the field.

#4 Not having fans in attendance

How in the world is a team supposed to get in a rhythm when they don t have their fans cheering them on? Seriously though, the fact that Las Vegas built a multimillion-dollar stadium that barely got used was a little hard to swallow. It also did a lot to erode the energy of the fanbase, who were forced to watch the games from home.

Of course, every team in every league faced this problem in some capacity, but not when they had just relocated their team. Raiders fans felt a pain that few other fanbases will ever experience. Fortunately for Raider Nation, however, it seems to also have ignited a fire that will have the fans packing the stands when this is all over.

#3 Covid-19 and injury issues

Injuries and COVID-19 hit the Las Vegas Raiders hard in their first season, and it resulted in them coming up short in some pretty crucial games. One example of this was their game against the Buccaneers, where their entire o-line was sent home due to COVID-19 contact tracing. Four of the players were ultimately removed from the list and able to play against the Buccaneers, but they still lost 45-20.

Other players like Nelson Agholor, Joshua Jacobs Hunter Renfrow, Henry Ruggs III and Darren Wallner also spent time on the injury reserve list, which hurt their chances of winning a bunch of games. The icing on the cake though was watching Derek Carr go down with a groin injury and being replaced by Marcus Mariota, who ultimately lost to the Rams.

#2 Not using Josh Jacobs as a wide receiver more

While a lot of NFL experts are singing the praises of Nelson Agholor as the Raiders' next big wide receiver, they seem to overlook Joshua Jacobs' potential in the role. Now, that might be easy to do given how lackluster Jacobs was with route running at the beginning of the season, but he really seemed to hit his stride when Marcus Mariota took over the offense.

While it was only a measly 38 yards that Jacobs racked up during that game against the Rams, it showed just how valuable a receiver he could be when it came to moving the ball. Beyond that, his speed allowed him to leave some defenders in the dust and nab easy gains for his team. It was almost like he should have been a WR all along. In the end, he does do better as a running back, but has a lot of potential as a wide receiver.

#1 The Defense throughout the entire season

The defense absolutely had to be the biggest problem for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Not only is that evident by the fact that they gave up a total of 478 points this season, but also by their constant inability to keep games close. One perfect example of this was their 43-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, one of the worst teams in the league.

Whether it was key members missing games due to COVID-19 or being injured, the defense just never got past the starting blocks this season. Sure, they did come up clutch in a few key games against the Chiefs and the Browns, but they fell apart at the end of the season. Furthermore, only the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions, and the Cowboys have been scored on more.