Raiders’ tailspin continues as Bengals win comfortably at Allegiant

The score may not look as embarrassing, but the Raiders’ second straight home loss was every bit as bad as the first.

Cincinnati beat Las Vegas 3213 Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium, handing the Raiders their third straight defeat overall. The Raiders now sit at 5-5 heading into Thursday’s Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys in Dallas.

The possibility of a playoff berth now officially feels remote, much unlike a month ago when the Raiders were sitting in first place in the AFC West. Las Vegas knew the game against Cincinnati shaped up as vital, but still came out with little energy and plenty of mistakes.

The Raiders’ offense could never get on track and didn’t find the end zone until early in the fourth quarter when Foster Moreau caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr.

That made the score 16-13 to give the Raiders life, but then their defense couldn’t hold the way it had most of the day.

The Bengals went on a 12-play, 57yard scoring drive capped by Ja’marr Chase catching a six-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. Derek Carr, who threw for 215 yards in completing 19 of 27 attempts, threw an interception two plays later and the game might as well have been called then.

Cincinnati added a 20-yard touchdown run from Joe Mixon, who had 123 rushing yards on 30 carries, after Carr’s interception to build a cushion. Rookie kicker Evan Mcpherson paced Cincinnati for the rest of the game, making three field goals of more than 50 yards and also adding a 47-yarder inside the final two minutes.

Mixon also had the first touchdown of the afternoon after a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty on Brandon Facyson, who led with the crown of his helmet on a third-down stop, in the second quarter.

Las Vegas’ defense, led by another game of consistent pressure by

Yannick Ngakoue and Maxx Crosby, routinely held Cincinnati at bay early. But penalties were a problem as the Raiders totaled seven flags for 77 yards, most of them on the defense.

They had an offensive game plan set up around tight end Darren Waller, who caught seven passes for 116 yards, but his biggest plays didn’t come until the fourth quarter. He had two long receptions to set up Moreau’s touchdown, but it proved to be too late.

Much like in the 41-14 loss to the Chiefs a week ago, the Raiders could neither make stops when it mattered nor muster enough offense for a comeback.