Head Coach Jon Gruden knows.
The players, they know too.
It's not a big secret; the fourth quarter has been an issue for the Oakland Raiders in the early goings of the 2018 season, and it's been a major factor in why the team is currently sitting at 0-3.
"Stats say 37-3," said Gruden Monday of the time being outscored in the final frame. "That's not good. We failed on a fourth-and-1 play in Denver. We had a false start at the end of the game in Denver that really stymied us moving the football. We've turned the ball over in the redzone, like we did last week. We have to finish drives on offense, we have to finish them. We have to take better care of the football."
Just like last week in Denver, the Silver and Black carried a lead into the fourth quarter of Sunday's game at Hard Rock Stadium, but unfortunately, as was the case the week previous, the Raiders came up short, as the Dolphins finished the game on a 21-3 run, including back-to-back touchdowns that ultimately sealed Derek Carr and Co.'s fate.
That said – as was the case the first two weeks of the regular season – there were some positives to take away from the 28-20 loss.
Once again, the Raiders offense showed what it's capable of being when everything's going right; Jordy Nelson enjoyed a breakout day in Miami, and a 15-play drive that took up much of the third quarter was probably about as good of a drive as we've seen in the NFL this year.
However, as good as those moments were, the Raiders Week 3 effort was ultimately defined by the moments they didn't convert, including an unsuccessful 4th-and-goal attempt, as well a pair of Derek Carr interceptions.
"I think our players understand how close we are offensively, and in certain aspects on defense they know we have some issues that we have to overcome," Gruden explained. "There is no question, you can't fool players. They know we have certain issues they have to overcome. Injuries now being another one. Fourth-and-one on the one-foot line, we have the ball first down at the twelve going in late. We are on the cusp of doing something great on the road in a very difficult place to play in September, let me tell you. Defensively we are three or four plays, that we just talked about, away from having a very good outing. Nobody cares right now. They want results. We want to win."
Now, will three games define a season? Certainly not.
And while the Silver and Black have yet to tally their first win of 2018, we've seen over the first few weeks, that the Raiders are a small correction here or there away from being where they want to be.
"I think our players understand how close we are offensively, and in certain aspects on defense they know we have some issues that we have to overcome," Gruden said. "There is no question, you can't fool players. They know we have certain issues they have to overcome. Injuries now being another one. Fourth-and-one on the one-foot line, we have the ball first down at the twelve going in late. We are on the cusp of doing something great on the road in a very difficult place to play in September, let me tell you. Defensively we are three or four plays, that we just talked about, away from having a very good outing. Nobody cares right now. They want results. We want to win."
The next chance for the Raiders to do just that – to win – comes Sunday afternoon back at home, as they attempt to ruin rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield's first NFL start.
"There's no doubt we are here to win and we want to win," Gruden explained. "We want to enjoy the process more than we are right now. We got a lot of new players, we got new systems, we've had some adversity. We are fighting. I think if you look at the tape you'll see a lot of great competitiveness. You'll see some guys that are giving you everything that they have…and you're seeing some improvement, which is important, but we still have a long way to go. It will be taxing, it will be pressing on some of our leaders to really step up and showcase it in times like this."
Kickoff against the Brown is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
