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Las Vegas Raiders fans were optimistic after the team hired Josh McDaniels as their head coach last season. He added three more Super Bowl victories in his second tour of duty as New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
But just like in his previous head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos, McDaniels has been criticized for questionable in-game decisions. He made another head-scratching choice during their Week 3 Sunday Night Football game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Raiders supporters have lost faith in Josh McDaniels
Trailing 23-15 with over two minutes left in regulation, the Las Vegas Raiders had a fourth-and-four situation from the Steelers’ eight-yard line. At this moment, an end zone strike to Davante Adams would have made sense because he has been tearing the Steelers' defense apart.
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Adams’ touchdown catch and a successful two-point conversion to Michael Mayer three minutes earlier trimmed the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lead to one possession. That was Adams’ second touchdown grab out of 13 receptions for 172 yards.
But instead of taking a gamble for a touchdown or a first down, Josh McDaniels greenlit the decision to have Daniel Carlson attempt a 26-yard field goal. While the try was successful, it didn’t make sense before the Raiders were still down by five points.
As BroBible NFL writer Dov Kleiman puts it:
“How bad was the decision by #Raiders coach Josh McDaniels to kick a FG on the down? Even after the kick, they needed a TD. It made no sense.”
Kleiman’s take led another football fan to comment:
“He deserves serious hate for being a univer(s)al fraud for years and still getting jobs”
Another Twitter user chimed in:
“He’s never been good without cheating”
Here are other reactions to Josh McDaniels’ questionable end-game decision, resulting in another Raiders loss.
Josh McDaniels and the Raiders had another chance but failed
The Raiders got the ball back after their defense forced a three-and-out. Unfortunately, Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception to Levi Wallace, sealing Pittsburgh’s second victory in three games. Garoppolo has three interceptions against the Mike Tomlin-coached squad.
Conversely, the decision to go for a field goal has McDaniels and the Raiders staring at a 1-2 start. Even if they fail, his players could live with going for it on fourth down with the end zone just eight yards away. Instead, he took the safe way out, and it backfired.
This defeat pushes McDaniels’ head coaching record with Las Vegas at 7-13. He finished his first season as the Raiders’ leading tactician at 6-11. McDaniels had a miserable 11-17 record as Denver Broncos head coach in 2009 and 2010.
Before Josh McDaniels took over the Raiders, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia led the franchise to a playoff appearance in 2021 with a 10-7 record. Bisaccia took over from Jon Gruden, who resigned after five games.
Raiders Nation! Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders Schedule and dive into the Raiders Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
