Lions Dominate Ineffective Raiders, 26-14

The Las Vegas Raiders (3-5) could only muster seven points out of their $102 million offense in an abysmal loss to the Detroit Lions (6-2).

DETROIT, Mich.--The Las Vegas Raiders continue to travel on the road to nowhere.

Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 152 yards and a 27-yard touchdown, while Riley Patterson kicked four field goals as the Detroit Lions dominated the Raiders, 26-14, on Monday Night Football at Ford Field.

“That was crazy,” Gibbs said of his breakout game as a pro.

The Raiders (3-5) slipped to 1-4 away from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, having lost four straight since defeating the Denver Broncos in the season opener at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. 

The Silver and Black’s offense has not scored 19 points in a game this season because when the Raiders had a 21 in a victory over the New England Patriots, they clinched it with a safety in the final two minutes.

Patterson kicked field goals of 44, 31, and 33 yards in the first half before quarterback Jared Goff hit rookie tight end Sam LaPorta with an 18-yard touchdown pass as the Lions (6-2) built a 16-7 halftime lead, and the Raiders never led in the game.

Jimmy Garoppolo has missed 2.5 of the Las Vegas Raiders' eight games this season with injuries, yet leads the NFL in interceptions / © David Reginek | 2023 Oct 31

Goff completed 25-of-36 passes for 267 yards and the touchdown and overcame a 75-yard pass interception for a score by cornerback Marcus Peters with 11:32 remaining in the third quarter that narrowed the lead to 16-14. It was Peters’ 33rd career interception and the seventh that he has returned for a touchdown.

However, Gibbs ran for his touchdown with 3:13 left in the third quarter, and Patterson added a 52-yard field goal with 9:59 left in the game, and the Lions bounced back from an embarrassing 38-6 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens last week.

Gibbs gained 152 yards on 26 carries and added five catches for 37 yards, giving him 189 total yards, while the Raiders managed only 157 total offensive yards. Craig Reynolds added 74 yards on 14 carries as the Lions rolled for 222.

Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions with six receptions for 108 yards, while LaPorta had eight catches for 57 yards and his touchdown.

Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s leading rusher last season with more than 1,500 yards who has not been able to get going this season, gained 61 yards on 15 carries, including a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and caught two passes for 27 yards.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, returning to the starting lineup after missing last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears because of a back injury, completed 10-of-21 passes for 126 yards without a touchdown and threw his ninth interception of the season while being sacked six times—all in the second half.

"I'm not going to talk about that right now," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels told reporters after the game when asked if Garoppolo would remain the starting quarterback. "But you can't win if you give the ball away.

“... I thought we did have some opportunities to make more plays on offense than we did, but we didn’t make them. We just couldn’t string together each enough plays in the passing game.”

Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and tight Austin Hooper had two receptions for 19 to lead Las Vegas. In contrast, All-Pro wide Davante Adams was limited to one catch for 11, and Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders’ leading receiver this season, had one for 19.

The Lions hadn’t blitzed much this season, but Coach Dan Campbell’s team changed its strategy and sacked Garoppolo six times, all in the second half. 

Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn had his players coming at Garoppolo from all angles, especially when they had three sacks in four plays during one stretch in the final quarter.

Jimmy G also was sacked seven times by the Los Angeles Chargers, including six by former Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack in a loss at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

“You have good days and bad days," Garoppolo said. "Today was a bad day. No sugar coating it. It is what it is. Just got to play better. Myself, I have to play better.”

Tackle Alex Anzalone led the Lions with seven tackles, three for losses, and made two sacks on that series in the fourth quarter. In contrast, safety Tracy Walker III made six stops, including a sack, and rookie safety Brian Branch also made six tackles. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill had four tackles, including two sacks, while rookie linebacker Jack Campbell also had four stops.

Safety Kirby Joseph had only two tackles, and he intercepted Garoppolo’s pass intended for Adams in the end zone in the first quarter when the Raiders had their only real chance to take the lead.

Safety Tre’Von Moehrig led the Raiders with ten tackles, while safety Marcus Epps made nine stops, one for a loss, defensive Maxx Crosby made eight tackles, one for a loss, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, defensive tackle John Jenkins added eight tackles, and linebacker Robert Spillane had eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

Cornerback Nate Hobbs had six tackles and made the Raiders’ only sack.

After two weeks on the road playing AFC North teams, the Raiders will return home to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where they won their last two games.

First, the New York Giants will come to town for a game next Sunday, and a week later, the Silver and Black will face the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football before heading out on the road again.

The Raiders will travel to play the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium (formerly Joe Robbie Stadium) in Miami on Sunday, Nov. 19, before returning home to Las Vegas to face the arch-rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 26.

The Silver and Black will return to Allegiant Stadium to take on the New York Giants on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST.

Please tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.