Raiders lost gamble against Chiefs, but they cant lose their nerve
LAS VEGAS — If you have a problem with Klint Kubiak calling his shot at halftime Sunday, all but guaranteeing the Raiders would beat the Chiefs, have at it.If you want to question his decision to take three points off the board in the third quarter, when presented with a more manageable fourth down, the floor is yours.And if you spent the drive home wondering about the all-out blitz that left rookie safety Treydan Stukes chasing Tyquan Thornton across the field with the Raiders protecting a 19-17 fourth-quarter lead, there is plenty to discuss.The Raiders lost for the first time this season, 30-27, to the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.The decisions that helped shape that outcome are fair game.
That comes with the headset and the responsibility of trying to drag this franchise somewhere it has spent far too little time lately.Just understand something before demanding that Kubiak turn down the temperature.The confidence, the aggression, the willingness to put the game in his players’ hands?Those are going to be permanent fixtures.And they should be.“He’s coming in to win, he’s not coming in to keep it close,” Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins said.The Raiders are building a team that expects to win these games.A team willing to put pressure on its opponents and accept the pressure that comes back the other way.
A team that sees an opportunity to finish off the Chiefs and reaches for it.Sunday, that reach exceeded their grasp.That hurts.It also leaves plenty to correct.But the worst lesson the Raiders could take from their first loss under Kubiak would be that they need to become more afraid of losing.They have spent enough years giving everyone reasons to expect the worst.
A coach willing to stand in front of a television camera at halftime and say he expects the best is hardly something to discourage.“Gotta be better, but you know what? We’re winning.We’re gonna win the game,” Kubiak told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson at halftime.The Raiders led 13-10 a...