Davante Adams was never a distraction, and his leaving doesn’t mean a rebuild is needed.
That was the message from the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday, one day after the six-time Pro Bowl receiver was traded to the New York Jets.
“Next man up, move on,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said during his weekly media session. “He was out for the last two weeks, so we’re fine. Just business as usual. That’s how we’ve been really operating the last couple weeks.”
The problem is, in the last few weeks, the Raiders (2-4) have faced tough losses in Denver and at home against Pittsburgh.
Star defensive end Maxx Crosby said that while he wishes Adams well, he is focused on the game on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams (1-4), a team coming off a bye week and also looking to get a win.
“I’m focused on who’s here now, and we’re just trying to win football games,” Crosby said. “The Rams’ offense clearly has a lot of talent. Starts with Matthew Stafford. Incredible quarterback. And then you got Sean McVay behind him, you got two guys that know the game really well.
And they provide a lot of issues. So we’re definitely looking forward to the challenge. I’m really excited.”
Crosby and the defensive line might not be the problem, as Las Vegas recorded three sacks in Sunday’s home loss to Pittsburgh. This marked the third game in a row that the Raiders have achieved at least that many, which is tied for the third-longest active streak in the league.
They have also had multiple sacks in their last five games, the team’s longest streak since achieving it in 10 straight games during the 2020-21 seasons.
However, it’s the mental mistakes that have troubled the Raiders, as they committed six turnovers in the past two weeks. They also had 11 penalties for 79 yards against the Broncos.
While they only had four penalties against the Steelers, two of them were roughing-the-passer calls on third down that led to touchdowns for Pittsburgh, including one on what would have been a Raiders interception.
“We know where we fall short — turnovers, penalties,” Ameer Abdullah said. “I feel like if we can get those things in order, we’re going to give ourselves a much better chance to win most of our games.
”(The Rams are) the biggest game because it’s the next game. I think it’s a must-win because it’s the next one.”
The Raiders also need to improve their offense, as they have the fourth-worst success rate in finishing drives with a score, at just 28.2%. They also have the sixth-lowest scoring average, with only 18.2 points.
Aidan O’Connell, who became the starting quarterback in Week 5, is now 0-2 while leading the offense. Still, he said he has faith in his receivers as the team moves on without Adams.
“I thought we did a good job executing,” O’Connell said about Wednesday’s practice. “Obviously, we’re still in the early stages of our install … it’s not Sunday yet, we’ve still got a few days to go and days to prepare.
“But I’m confident in our guys to go out and execute. And I think the good thing about the NFL is every week’s a new week. Whether you win or lose, you can wipe the slate and kind of have a short memory in that way.”
With Adams gone and Jakobi Meyers dealing with an ankle injury, second-year wide receiver Tre Tucker might get a lot of opportunities on Sunday.
“It’ll be a fun one; I played the Rams last year in preseason,” Tucker said. “That was a pretty good game, and I’m excited to play them again.”
