The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a tough shutout at the hands of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, losing 24-0.

The Saints were led by star running back Alvin Kamara, who posted an impressive stat line of 158 total yards and 3 total touchdowns, with much of his work coming on the receiving end.

The Raiders fall to 2-5 with the loss, while the Saints improved to 3-5 with the win. 

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First half

The game started relatively slowly, with the first three drives ending in punts until the Saints got on the board on their second possession. Following a grueling 11-play drive, Alvin Kamara punched the ball in for his first touchdown of three on the night, this one coming from three yards out.

Following a failed fake punt by the Raiders, the Saints were able to knock down a field goal, making the score 10-0 just over two minutes into the second quarter. Looking to get back in the game, Derek Carr led the Raiders back onto the field only to throw an interception, leading to a second Alvin Kamara touchdown.

Heading into halftime, the Saints led 17-0. During the entire first half, the Raiders didn’t cross midfield on offense a single time. 

Second half

After a 35-yard touchdown via Alvin Kamara on the opening drive – his third of the night – the second half was mostly uneventful.

The Raiders only passed midfield on their last possession of the game, when they failed to score a meaningless touchdown on the last play of the game. Outside of Jarrett Stidham’s end-of-game drive, the Raiders’ offense simply could not get clicking during the second half.

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Takeaways

If you haven’t figured it out yet, it is safe to say that this Raiders team is not the team many thought it would be heading into the season.

The blame for this could lay at the feet of many members of this franchise. New coach Josh McDaniels, one of the biggest changes from last season, is near the top of the list.

A defense that has forced the least turnovers and recorded the least amount of sacks in the NFL is also Top 10 in most yards per game allowed per game (8th), points per game (7th), and third-down conversion rate (4th). Additionally, a secondary that is giving up the third-highest completion percentage and 8th most passing yards per game could be blamed.

These aren’t the only issues for this Raiders team, however, and that was more than obvious against New Orleans.

Should Davante Adams want out of Las Vegas?

Before the season, the Davante Adams trade looked like the kind of deal that could put a wild card Raiders team in the Super Bowl hunt.

However, following an abysmal 1 reception, 3-yard performance he may be rethinking the decision of leaving Aaron Rodgers for Derek Carr. Obviously, a 2-5 season that has Adams ninth in receiving yards – after finishing third last season –  is not as appealing as the situation that he left.

But, is Adams regretting his decision of leaving one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game? Only time will tell, but if I were the Raiders’ upper management, I’d be looking to make some changes.

Up next

The Raiders (2-5) will look to rebound next week when they travel to Jacksonville to face the 2-6 Jaguars.

There have been eight teams that have made the playoffs after starting 2-5, and that number dwindles down after a 2-6 start. While it isn’t impossible for the Raiders to turn their season around, it is certainly possible.

The Raiders’ game against the Jaguars will kick off on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. MT and can be seen on CBS.

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