Las Vegas Raiders Must Fix Second-Half Issues To Turn Close Games Into Wins

The Las Vegas Raiders had given themselves chances to beat two strong opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, but their mistakes after halftime kept getting in their way. With three defeats changed their start into a difficult stretch for head coach Klint Kubiak, whose team struggled to maintain its early consistency. With the Los Angeles Rams coming to Allegiant Stadium in Week 7, the Raiders needed more than a good first half. They had to find a way to carry their performance through all four quarters.

Klint Kubiak addresses Las Vegas Raiders' struggles

Kubiak identified the problem but needed his players to correct it on the field. 

“The Raiders have gone three-and-out or worse in five of six games and have yet to score a point on their first drive of the second half this season,” Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote on Thursday. 

The coach planned for the team to practice their halftime execution for this Sunday's game. The Raiders practiced the break to give their players a chance to work out their preparation and communication for returning to the field.

“We're looking at our process at halftime, at what we're asking the players to do coming out in the third quarter, and that's a major point of emphasis,” Kubiak said.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed that the team needed to respond better after the break. He had thrown three consecutive incomplete passes to open the second half against Buffalo, and the Bills took control of a game that was tied at 13.

“We have not played good football for the most part,” Cousins said. “We've got to be much, much better coming out.”

Raiders must improve scoring and defensive execution

The offensive struggles were only part of the problem. Las Vegas had struggled to turn red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, finishing with two scores on five trips against Buffalo. One missed block by right guard Caleb Rogers helped stop rookie running back Ashton Jeanty near the goal line, forcing the Raiders to settle for a field goal.

The defense also needed to limit opponents after halftime. Las Vegas had scored 15.3 points per game in the second half, ranking 27th in the league, while its overall defensive numbers remained near the bottom of the NFL.

Kubiak wanted his team to take advantage of opportunities instead of waiting until the fourth quarter to respond. He stressed that good field position and defensive turnovers had to lead to points.

“Just having the ultimate competitor's mindset of not being okay with having the game be close in the fourth quarter,” Kubiak said.