Graney: Bottom line, Raiders loss was on offense

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —Distraction can rear its menacing head in the preparation of an NFL team. In those critical Wednesday and Thursday practices.

To a player, the Raiders were adamant that wasn’t the case this week.

No matter. Whether the news of wide receiver Henry Ruggs being involved in a fiery crash that took the life of another translated into how the team performed against the Giants, the end result was obvious Sunday: This one is on the offense. What a hot mess.

The Raiders walked out of MetLife Stadium a 23-16 loser because almost every time they positioned themselves to reach the end zone, they failed miserably.

There was no bigger culprit than quarterback Derek Carr.

It has been a while since he played this poorly.

Emotions matter?

“If I wrote down a list of things that I could be thinking about in my eight years before a game, it would be a pretty good story,” Carr said, “That’s just not the case. When it’s football, we’re playing football. Let’s stick to football. They played better than us. I turned the ball over. That’s it.

“I thought we were ready mentally. Emotions weren’t into it. My (interceptions) had nothing to do with emotion.”

There had to be some for all involved. You can’t play at this level without a lion’s share of passion and intensity and feeling. One way or another, each member of the organization reacted when the news of early Tuesday morning broke.

Ruggs — who faces multiple felony charges from his involvement in a crash that left 23-year-old Tina Tintor dead — was released by the team later that day.

You can’t deny the Raiders — and especially Carr — missed his speed and ability to stretch the field Sunday. There is a reason the team is signing free-agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Ruggs left a gaping big-play hole.

It wasn’t the only issue.

There was no offensive consistency, no rhythm, no feel in the most important part of the field. The Raiders were 1-of-6 in the red zone. Carr missed open receivers for touchdowns. Several of his passes lacked accuracy.

He would finish 30-of-46 for 296 yards with a score, but would turn the ball over three times.

One interception was a pick-six on the third play of the second half that gave the Giants a lead for good. Another led to a New York field goal. Carr’s fumble when pressured with under 50 seconds at the Giants’ 13 sealed the loss.

“We can’t let (off-field) things affect us, no matter what it is,” said wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. “We just have to play better. If we had won the game, we probably wouldn’t be getting a lot of these questions. We control the narrative. We need to do what we can do to stop the outside noise.”

It’s not just Ruggs. It is the resignation of Jon Gruden as head coach due to insensitive emails. It is lawsuits against cornerback Damon Arnette and social media videos of him brandishing firearms. It’s seemingly one thing after another right now.

Not going away

Days and weeks and months will pass, but the Ruggs story isn’t going anywhere. The Raiders insist that they have moved on enough not to be distracted by it.

They didn’t play like it Sunday.

Of course, it could have been this simple: The offense just stunk.

Bottom line: The Raiders are now 5-3 and here comes Kansas City to Allegiant Stadium for a prime-time game Sunday night.

“I’m sure the emotions were different on an individual basis,” said tight end Darren Waller of the Ruggs’ situation. “But we were focused in practice and came in with a solid mindset. Things that happened in the game made the difference. I didn’t see anything before it that had me worried.”

Maybe he did afterward.

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.