Different year, same story: Raiders just not good enough

We lay to rest another Raiders season, one that doesn’t end until a finale at Denver next week, but finished just the same.

In a league where making the playoffs is the lone goal by which each team defines success, the Raiders have again missed out.

They have advanced to the postseason just once since 2002. And while the chances of doing so were pencil thin entering a home game against Miami on Saturday night, how it all became official was more dagger to the heart than slap upside the head.

“I feel bad for our fans,” said Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. “It’s tough.”

What a debacle

The Dolphins would prevail 26-25 at Allegiant Stadium. If you’re looking for a premier example of why Jon Gruden-coached teams struggle in the second half of seasons, look nowhere else but this debacle.

Sometimes, the truth is unavoidable: The Raiders just weren’t good enough, both Saturday and over the last month.

Seasons don’t end after nine games, when a record of 6-3 means little if you’re then going to lose five of your next six.

Miami would kick a game-winning field goal with one second remaining, but not before it began the drive at its own 25 with 19 seconds left. Read that part again.

All it took was a 34-yard completion against zone coverage and an inexcusable personal foul from Raiders defensive end Arden Key to get into range.

“A terrible way to lose a game,” Gruden said. “I really admire the way we compete, but until we start closing out games, we’ll continue to be disappointed. That’s a reflection on me, obviously …”

He will be second-guessed for not trying to score a touchdown in the final minutes, instead playing for three and forcing Miami to burn all its timeouts while having to drive at least 50 yards with just seconds remaining to win it with that field goal.

It’s not the most egregious of decisions, but anyone who has watched the Raiders’ defense at all this season — and especially once Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Tua Tagovailoa as Miami’s quarterback with under 10 minutes left — should rightly question Gruden not putting the Dolphins in a position where they needed a touchdown to win.

They couldn’s stop Fitzpatrick, all 38 years old of him.

In the much bigger picture, the Raiders can’t possibly consider themselves that close to playoff worthy until some serious defensive improvements are made.

Maybe they were afforded a glimpse Saturday of what can happen. That things can change for the better quickly if money is spent wisely.

In just one season, the Dolphins have gone from worst to first in points allowed. They also lead the league in takeaways and are third in opposing quarterback rating.

But theirs were far better free-agent signings than the Raiders offered defensively. Miami now reaps those benefits.

Who is named the full-time defensive coordinator will be the first of many important offseason moves for the Raiders, Gruden not only needing to upgrade the talent on that side of the ball, but to find the best person who will then instruct it.

“It’s life, man, it’s the NFL,” said Raiders Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. “There are moments of jubilation and people are pumping the Super Bowl bandwagon and everything is great. Then there are moments that are crushing. It’s hard. To go through all these things for 17 weeks, it takes a lot of mental toughness and integrity to continue to show up, regardless of the results.

“There ain’t no way around it. It just hurts. I don’t know what else I can say.”

Same old story

It means Gruden is 0-for-3 in pursuit of a playoff berth since being bestowed that 10-year contract in January of 2018. The Raiders are 4-12, 7-9 and now 7-8 under him.

The ending to this latest loss tells a lot — how far away the Raiders still are defensively while also painting that portrait about their head coach and his late-season struggles.

Teams just don’t lose like this. But the Raiders did. A debacle of an ending.

Sayonara, playoffs.

Different year, same story.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.