VEGAS SPORTS REPORT: Raiders Search for Answers, Golden Knights Face Nashville

The Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) face mounting concerns over their struggling ground game heading into Sunday’s (Oct. 18) showdown against the Buffalo Bills at Allegiant Stadium, with a rushing attack averaging just 82.0 yards per game, fifth-worst in the National Football League (NFL), putting added pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins and an already vulnerable offence. Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders rushes against the New England Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Image: Michael Owens/Getty Images) In Sunday’s (Oct. 11) 45-17 beatdown in New England, the Raiders ran for just 38 yards, with starting running back Ashton Jeanty laboring for 27 yards on 10 carries. Raiders Running Game Falters Without a running game, the Patriots pressured Cousins, who’s 38 and was never considered a mobile quarterback, even in his younger years. ESPN stats show the Patriots blitzed Cousins on 41.2% of his drop-back passes in the first half. The Bills rank 28th in defensive blitz rate, at 16.3% (36 blitzes through five games), according to Pro Football Reference, with the league average at 24.5%. Still, watching what the Patriots accomplished Sunday (Oct. 11), they will no doubt plan to pressure Cousins more. The New York Jets (36.9%, 3rd in the NFL) and the Los Angeles Rams (23.0%, 17th in the NFL) follow the Bills, so it won’t get any easier if the Raiders can’t find a running game fast. Jeanty Battles Lingering Injuries In Jeanty’s defense, he is banged up, dealing with an ankle sprain and a flare-up of plantar fasciitis, a troublesome challenge for running backs, with repeated acceleration, cutting and changes in direction. So far this season, he has 291 yards on 88 carries, for 3.3 yards per carry, with no touchdowns. Last season, in his rookie year, he rushed for 975 yards on 266 carries (3.7 yards per carry). “Earlier in the game, I needed to stay with the run,” Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters yesterday (Oct. 12), talking about the Patriots game. “We were playing from behind all day, so it became a passing game. I didn’t need to abandon the running game so fast. I didn’t give it a chance to get going. So that’s on me. “Ashton is beat up, and it’s a testament to how tough he is that he’s out there playing for his teammates,” he said. Mendoza Makes Debut Rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza saw his first NFL action Sunday (Oct. 11), going 6-for-8 for 48 yards. Kubiak told reporters not to read anything into that. Cousins is his quarterback, looking forward to Sunday. “This is an opportunity for us to move forward,” said Kubiak. “We have our whole season ahead of us, and we can’t let this game beat us. I told the guys, ‘What makes you a loser is pointing fingers at other people.’ We’re all trying to look inward at what we can do better and move forward.” Golden Knights Face Predators The Vegas Golden Knights (5-2-0) are in Nashville tonight (Oct. 13) to take on the Predators in their second game in two nights. Last night (Oct. 12), the Golden Knights lost 4-2 to the Wild in Minnesota after falling behind 3-0 in the first period, the third time in seven games they’ve fallen behind 3-0. The Wild killed all five of the Knights’ power plays, so changing that around in Nashville will be something to monitor. Last night’s (Oct. 12) loss snapped the Golden Knights’ four-game winning streak. Nashville Power Play Threatens Vegas leads the National Hockey League Pacific Division by one point, ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers. Nashville collected four of a possible six points on its recent Canadian road trip. Mitch Marner carries a three-game point streak into tonight’s (Oct. 13) game, with Steven Stamkos leading the Predators with seven points in five games. Adin Hill (2-0-0, 2.41 goals-against average, .886 save percentage, tied for 32ndin the NHL) is expected to start in net for Las Vegas tonight (Oct. 13). Nashville has the NHL’s fourth-best power play, at 31.6%. NBA Spotlight Returns to Las Vegas Lots of intrigue around tonight’s (Oct. 13) Las Vegas National Basketball Association showcase game, an exhibition contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, being played at T-Mobile Arena, starting at 10 p.m. EDT. Of course, the game comes at a time when the NBA is finalizing the winning bidders for an NBA expansion franchise for Las Vegas. Tonight’s (Oct. 13) game has some intrigue; the Lakers are figuring out what they have after LeBron James left the team as a free agent this past summer to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Lakers head coach JJ Redick is evaluating his roster, now built around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Dončić scored 23 points in 25 minutes in an exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday (Oct. 8), a 114-110 Lakers win. The teams meet again in their regular-season opener in eight days (Oct. 21). The post VEGAS SPORTS REPORT: Raiders Search for Answers, Golden Knights Face Nashville appeared first on Casino.org.