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Raiders finally forced the turnovers they had been chasing for weeks, and they still lost by two touchdowns. The Los Angeles Rams led 28-6 at halftime Sunday at Allegiant Stadium and coasted to a 35-21 win, handing the Raiders (3-4) a fourth straight loss.
The second-half push never got the Raiders closer than 10 points, so the damage was done before the comeback started.
Here is who earned some credit on Sunday and who left Allegiant Stadium with homework.
Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker keeps making the case for more than leftover targets in this offense, and Sunday was his loudest argument yet. He caught five passes for 103 yards, including a 41-yard grab and a 37-yard touchdown on the same drive.
He now has 200 yards and three scores over his last two games, a run few saw coming from a receiver room everyone had written off.
Two takeaways felt like a small miracle for a defense that forced one in its previous three games. Raiders defensive tackle JJ Pegues knocked the ball loose from Rams running back Kyren Williams, and linebacker Nakobe Dean dove for a pass that bounced off Rams tight end Colby Parkinson's hands.
The pick was Dean's first since 2023, and the offense frustratingly handed the first takeaway right back with a fourth-down incompletion.
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty caught eight passes for 61 yards and a 15-yard touchdown, while his eight carries went for a stunning 15 yards.
Watching the sixth overall pick turn into a check-down option is jarring, and the Raiders have now gone four straight weeks under 75 rushing yards.
The Rams played without wide receiver Davante Adams and still ran for 199 yards, with Williams (99) and Rams running back Blake Corum (93) nearly giving them two 100-yard backs.
Even worse, the Raiders have now allowed at least 30 points in four straight games, a stretch that would have sounded absurd during the 3-0 start.
The Rams went 5 for 5 in the red zone, while the Raiders went a shocking 1 for 5. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak made finishing drives a priority all week, so the result stung even more.
Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins overthrew wide receiver Cody White from the 13 and missed fellow receiver Jalen Nailor as back-to-back third-quarter drives died on fourth down. A failed two-point try later wiped out a chance to make it 28-20 with over 13 minutes left.
Cousins threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, a line that looks fine until the scoreboard enters the conversation. Most of those yards piled up after the Rams had built a 22-point lead.
Kubiak stuck with him Sunday, but he also made it clear that everything is on the table this week, personnel included. With rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza waiting and the New York Jets next, Cousins might be one more slow start away from holding a clipboard.