The Raiders’ playoff hopes are likely already dashed, but they need to start showing something as a result of their offseason investments. Owner Mark Davis is in this for the long haul, and McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler aren’t in danger of being fired anytime soon. But the rest of Vegas’ roster needs a lot of work. A team can’t sacrifice a first- and second-round pick for 29-year-old Davante Adams and claim they’re building for the future.Īdams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller give Derek Carr an enviable set of weapons, and Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones form one of the NFL’s more imposing pass-rush duos. They’re simultaneously trying to clean up the mess made by former general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden while also (nominally) attempting to compete in the AFC West. Set up to play the fifth-most-difficult in the league, the Raiders have hung tough in all three of their games but haven’t yet emerged with a victory. The Raiders are one of only two winless teams remaining in the NFL, but unlike the Texans, Las Vegas didn’t manage a tie. Both have contracts with guaranteed money for at least the next four years, but that probably won’t stop either team’s ownership from making a change. No one wants to see coaches lose their jobs, but the reality is that at least one of Rhule or Kingsbury may not make it through the season in charge. As such, the Cards’ offense hasn’t been able to make up for a defense struck by regression through three weeks. They have faced a difficult schedule to open the year, but Arizona’s offense has devolved, leaving Kyler Murray to extend plays and create opportunities outside of structure consistently. Rhule’s opponent entered the 2022 campaign with far greater expectations after earning a playoff berth, but Kingsbury’s Cardinals haven’t played inspired football this season. Untangle all of those lackluster performances, and the thread points back to Rhule, who hasn’t built any sort of sustainable offensive structure for the Panthers. Meanwhile, Mayfield himself looks like a shell of the signal-caller who was an above-average starter for two seasons in Cleveland. Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore are being utilized at worse rates than they were with lesser quarterbacks than Baker Mayfield.
Rhule’s choice for offensive coordinator, former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo, hasn’t brought any interesting ideas to Carolina. But the loser of Week 4’s Cardinals-Panthers game will move to 1-3, leaving either Rhule or Kingsbury on the hottest of hot seats. The NFC looks like the watered-down conference we expected through three weeks, so it’s hard to count any team out of the postseason race. The NFL is a results-based league, and two of the head coaches who need immediate turnarounds happen to be facing each other on Sunday. Week 4 is too early for must-win games, but we might be getting close to that point. It’s only been three weeks, but a few head coaches have already come under fire.
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