Playing better only cure for Raiders’ embarrassing loss to Chiefs

Lost in all the drama about the two-day postponement of the Raiders’ game in Cleveland was how badly they just wanted to get back on the field.

The delay from Saturday to 2 p.m. Monday at FirstEnergy Stadium provided an extra 48 hours for the rotten stench of what happened last week against Kansas City to marinate on their palate.

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was already champing at the bit to get back on the field in the middle of the week after the Raiders were trounced 48-9 last Sunday by the Chiefs.

“I’m ready now,” he said after practice on Wednesday. “That was pretty embarrassing to go out there and play like that. We obviously didn’t come to play, and Kansas City did what they had to do. That wasn’t Raiders football.”

Embarrassment was a common emotion around the Raiders’ facility this week.

It’s a feeling defensive coordinator Gus Bradley wants his team to move on from, but not necessarily forget. He believes the Raiders must process what went wrong in order to start to fix it.

“I think there are some good lessons to be learned in that game,” he said. The main lesson being talk is cheap.

“There is a lot of talk about making sure that we get better and bringing our best. Well, that’s not what getting better looks like. If that’s what we’re after, then we have to be real with ourselves and say, ‘that’s not bringing our best and that’s not what improving looks like.’”

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson said the only way to avoid another bitter flight home is to play better against the Browns. “I think everyone from the players to the coaches, the entire organization wants to get that bitter taste out of our mouths,” he said.

The Raiders haven’t done enough of that lately. They have lost five of six since a promising 5-2 start and now sit with just a 5 percent chance of making the postseason, according to the FiveThirtyEight simulation.

Those odds increase dramatically should the Raiders find a way to win their last four games, but they have to start with winning one. To do that, they will have to be more consistent and avoid the peaks and valley that have characterized their season.

Quarterback Derek Carr believes that can be done, though there is no magic formula.

“It’s different with each person,” he said of what he’s telling his teammates. “There’s not just one big word that would fix everything. If that was the case, we would’ve done that a while back.”

The loudest speech should probably be reserved for the guys up front. Carr and the offense have mostly gone as the offensive line has gone this season. The rebuilt unit was a concern coming into the season as the group got younger and less experienced, which was needed for the team to get salary-cap compliant.

While there is talent, the group’s play has been erratic. They know it has to get better.

Starting left guard John Simpson acknowledged as much, adding his mates in the trenches are eager to show they can do better than they showed against the Chiefs. “That game was very uncharacteristic of us as a team,” he said.

One thing the Raiders won’t count on helping them get back on track is the Browns not putting up a fight despite a COVID outbreak that has decimated the roster and prompted the two-day delay.

Multiple starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, may be missing for the Browns, but Carr said the Raiders can’t afford to let up no matter who lines up against them.

“If I have to prepare differently, that means I don’t believe I’m doing it the right way in the first place,” he said. “I treat every game like this is the most important one and I always will. That’s just how I am. No matter who’s playing, who’s on the injury report.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.