Why last season might be a lesson for the Raiders,
A conversation between Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock and quarterback Derek Carr reminded both of one thing: The Raiders were 6-4 through 10 games last season.
Then a meltdown toward the end of the season ended playoff hopes as the team finished with a 7-9 record.
The Raiders visit the Atlanta Falcons for a 10 a.m. PST kickoff at Mercedes-benz Stadium — and enter the contest at 6-4.
But this season feels different, Carr said.
“There’s just something about this team; the teams we’ve lost to, how we’ve lost and things like that,” Carr said Wednesday. “The teams that we’ve played with and beat ... We’re definitely a better team this year, but we right now have to, and I mean have to, finish this season better than we did last year. And I believe that we will.”
The Raiders were oh so close from sweeping the Kansas City
Chiefs and improving to 7-3, but a late touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce ended that hope, as Las Vegas lost 35-31.
Entering this week, the Raiders sit in the seventh spot in the AFC playoff picture. The top seven teams will make the playoffs in each conference — a change from previous seasons, when six teams qualified for the postseason.
On a mission
After Sunday’s game with the Falcons, the Raiders will travel to face the winless New York Jets.
The Raiders will err on the side of caution because when it seemed like a winnable game in New York last season, the 3-7 Jets rolled to a 34-3 win.
The losses continued (Kansas City, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars) that put the Raiders at 6-8.
But a change of fortune this season could land the Raiders in the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
This season, the Raiders have notable wins against the Chiefs, Carr’s first of his career at Arrowhead Stadium, as well as over the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden sees progress for his team.
“We’re making signs on offense and we’re showing some things on defense,” he said. “We just have to play a lot better together. We have to keep building our franchise and keep working with these players and
trying to get them to play and perform better and better and better.
Said Carr: “I’m on a mission right now to continually get better and lead this football team.”
Ferrell to play this weekend?
It is uncertain when Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell will play.
Ferrell reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus last week and missed the Chiefs game. But Gruden indicated Ferrell could return Thursday and that’s what happened when the Raiders activated him from the reserve/coVID-19 list.
Ferrell posted on Instagram, “I’m happy to be back.”
Whether he plays Sunday remains to be seen.
“I don’t know how he’s going to play, honestly,” Gruden said. “I haven’t seen Cle in a while. We think he’s going to be back in the facility (Thursday) and we’re going to do the right thing to ramp him up and make sure he’s OK. We’re hoping we get Maurice Hurst back. We had (Cory) Littleton show up and practice for the first time in a couple of weeks. We’re trying to get him back in circulation. We’re reaching out to Lamarcus Joyner, I hope he comes back soon, Theo Riddick. We have a lot of moving parts right now.”