After acquiring superstar wide receiver Davante Adams and pass rusher Chandler Jones during the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders were expected by some to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Instead, their season has become an unmitigated disaster, as they have sunk to a 2-7 record, the second-worst mark in the entire NFL.
Many have pointed the finger at head coach Josh McDaniels, who is in his first season at the helm of the Raiders, but owner Mark Davis has preached patience.
just talked with #raiders owner Mark Davis, on Josh McDaniels: “People in today’s world want instant gratification. The guy’s coached nine games. We’re 2-7, not the results we’re looking for, but at the same time, we’ve lost six games where we’ve had the ball with a…(more)
—Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 14, 2022
“,,,chance to win at the end.”
Also asked Davis about the “dreaded vote of confidence” and he laughed. “I gave him the vote of confidence when I signed him to a contract to be the coach of the #Raiders.”—Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 14, 2022
However, fans seem sick of McDaniels, and he has even become the butt of jokes across social media.
Every week the NFL should hire a guy off the couch and see if they can beat Josh McDaniels
—Sloppy 6’5” (@ColeyMick) November 14, 2022
Everyone and their mother was screaming at the Raiders to keep Rich Bisaccia as their head coach, yet they chose to bring in Josh McDaniels.
This decision is as disastrous as Napoleon trying to invade Russia before winter.
— Unmistakable Latin Flavor (@UrinatingTree) November 14, 2022
Josh McDaniels is a disgrace to the coaching profession🤡 https://t.co/0Sf6HU9VfK
— Colts Militia (@coltsmilitia_) November 14, 2022
Josh McDaniels would be a “fantastic” magician in Las Vegas. He’s already made a playoff team disappear in his first act of him.
— Raider Posts (@RaiderPosts) November 14, 2022
Obviously, fans aren’t feeling Davis’ comments about McDaniels.
@benmaller #Mallermonologue A-plus monologue. What’s the chances that Josh McDaniels has blackmail photos of Mark Davis?
— Chip-in-the-Cuse (@ChipintheCuse) November 15, 2022
Josh McDaniels has done nothing to prove he’s deserving of keeping his job. But the Raiders are still run by the Davis family which means logical decisions will forever evade them https://t.co/wQPcZpY2QA
— Benny (@BennyOnTheRadio) November 15, 2022
Can we drug test Mark Davis who says Josh McDaniels is a fantastic coach you know maybe plant some emails on him @howaboutfresca @SwollenDome
— JasonBDymond (@champringdads0) November 15, 2022
This Has Been A Season From Hell For The Raiders
Early on, there were definite signs of trouble, as Las Vegas blew big leads and lost narrowly to the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs.
It recovered and held a 2-4 record a few weeks ago, which allowed fans to believe perhaps things were stabilizing a bit.
But then the Raiders got shut out by the New Orleans Saints, then they blew another sizable lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who themselves are one of the worst teams in the NFL.
But the final straw seemed to be Las Vegas’ Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a team that had just hired a former center named Jeff Saturday who had never held any type of coaching job in the league.
The Raiders had survived a slow start and the Jon Gruden saga last year to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs, but they’ve dug themselves a much deeper hole this time.
With games against the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Chiefs upcoming, it will likely take more than a coaching change to get the Raiders back to the postseason this time around.
