klint kubiak
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The Las Vegas Raiders were huge underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9, but they could’ve made it a much more competitive game than it ended up being. The Raiders lost 38-17 and had five turnovers, including a fumble at the one-yard line that likely would’ve ended up as a touchdown.
Las Vegas is now 4-5, which doesn’t take them out of the playoff race, but it’s going to be a huge uphill battle. The NFL trade deadline is coming up this week. There’s been talk about whether the Raiders could be buyers or sellers, but with this loss, it doesn’t make sense to give up any good assets.
Head coach Klint Kubiak goes honest about the trade deadline.
“We’re always talking about that with (general manager John Spytek) and looking at everything,” Kubiak said when asked about the upcoming trade deadline.
The 49ers game likely played a big role in the decision-making at the trade deadline. A win over a Super Bowl contender would’ve been proof that the Raiders could compete with anybody, but after getting blown out, the team has to accept a harsh reality. Kubiak essentially admitted that the loss will have an effect on how active the Raiders are at the deadline.
“Every day, the calculus changes. You get new information about your team, and that goes into the decision-making moving forward,” Kubiak said.
Who Could Be on Trade Block?
It doesn’t sound like the Raiders will consider trading defensive end Maxx Crosby, so he can be ruled out. The team might be more inclined to listen to Kirk Cousins trade offers after he threw three interceptions against the 49ers.
Jackson Powers-Johnson rode the bench against San Francisco. He’s a strong candidate to get traded in the coming days. The Raiders aren’t likely to make any big moves, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them do something small.
Kubiak Gets Praise From George Kittle
This loss had to hurt extra for Kubiak. He previously coached for the 49ers, and his brother Klay Kubiak is the offensive coordinator.
Kubiak isn’t going to be happy with how the Raiders performed, but they could be headed in the right direction. It remains to be seen if he’ll be the right coach going forward, but the 49ers players love him. Tight end George Kittle expressed his love for the coach before the game.
“Love Klint. He’s a cookie monster, him and his brother. I bring cookies around every Wednesday for the boys. They love cookies,” Kittle said, via Raiders.com. “Besides that, what I enjoyed about Klint was he explains things really well. He explains what he wants out of the offensive gameplan. Because he was our pass game coordinator really, how he installed the pass plays, he just gave all the right tips, put your guys in good positions to succeed. And I liked the way he coached too, he’s very like a really positive reinforcement guy. … Klint’s a hell of a head coach, I’ve heard nothing but great things from the Raiders guys. I’m a huge fan of Klint Kubiak.”