Raiders Focus on Third-Quarter Woes After Recent Losses

The Las Vegas Raiders are addressing a critical issue: their lack of offensive production in the third quarter, which has contributed to recent close losses.

Following a surprising 3-0 start, the Raiders have faced a challenging schedule, playing against Super Bowl contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. In both of those games, as well as a blowout loss to the New England Patriots, the Raiders' offense has faltered after halftime. They went into halftime with a lead against Kansas City and were tied with Buffalo, only to be shut out in the third quarter in both instances. Over these three games, the Raiders have been outscored 24-3 in the third quarter, resulting in an NFL-worst minus-26 point differential in that period.

This third-quarter slump has made the close losses to the Chiefs and Bills particularly difficult to accept. Coach Klint Kubiak acknowledged the severity of the problem, stating, “Overall, it’s just a complete lack of production. It’s really putting us in a bad spot as a team, not getting it done, getting outscored in the third quarter.” Kubiak indicated that the coaching staff is actively working to identify common issues and better position players coming out of halftime. He emphasized that the third quarter's performance “did” hurt them significantly in the loss to the Bills, making it a major point of emphasis for the team.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins echoed these concerns, noting too many three-and-outs after the second half begins. "We have not played good football for the most part. We’ve got to be much, much better coming out. Got to emphasize it this week. Work at it," Cousins said. He believes that improving their third-quarter performance could significantly help the team win games.

Despite the third-quarter struggles, Cousins has been performing well individually. He passed for 313 yards against Buffalo, marking his second 300-yard game in three weeks, and threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Tre Tucker. Entering Monday night, Cousins' 14 touchdown passes tied him for the league lead.

The Raiders' red-zone efficiency has also been a concern. They converted only 2 of 5 red-zone opportunities into touchdowns against Buffalo and went 0 for 2 against the Chiefs. Their season-long red-zone conversion rate of 52.2% ranks as the 12th worst in the NFL. Tucker's emergence as a deep threat, including a 44-yard touchdown reception against the Bills, offered a positive sign for the offense. "Tre’s shown that he can really stress the defense," Kubiak said. "Any time that you can push a ball down the field, it’s going to open things up."

On the defensive side, the Raiders have allowed 30-plus points in each of their last three games, a streak not seen since late 2019. This stretch has included facing top quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Drake Maye, and Josh Allen. The team's defense has also seen a significant drop in takeaways, recording only one over the past three games after forcing nine in the first three weeks.

The Raiders are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway, who has been dealing with a concussion, is expected to return to practice this week.