3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 14 Loss vs. Vikings

The Las Vegas Raiders took the field on Sunday looking to end a two-game skid and get back in the win column against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Raiders defense did its job, holding the Vikings scoreless for nearly four entire quarters. However, the offense faltered, the Vikings found a field goal with two minutes in regulation, and Las Vegas lost by the score of 3-0.

While it's hard to learn a lot from a game that featured all of three points, we learned a few things about the makeup of the 5-8 Raiders. They're not perfect, and they aren't a playoff-caliber team, but they're not going to make it easy for anyone down the stretch.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the Raiders' Week 14 loss to the Vikings.

Offensive Miscues Ruin a Stellar Defensive Performance

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow fumbles against the Vikings

If you had told Raiders fans before Sunday that they'd hold Minnesota to a single field goal, they'd have taken it. They would also have assumed that Las Vegas was moving to 6-7 on the season.

However, too many offensive mistakes, including a Hunter Renfrow fumble and an Aidan O'Connell interception, ruined a glorious day by Patrick Graham's unit.

It wasn't only the turnovers. O'Connell struggled with pocket presence and was sacked four times. He misfired multiple times, and receivers dropped several of his accurate passes. Josh Jacobs (34 yards on 13 carries) had another underwhelming day on the ground and exited with a knee injury.

O'Connell, who continues to show that he isn't the long-term answer at quarterback, finished 20-of-31 for 142 yards with an interception.

Defensively, the Raiders were fantastic. They held Minnesota to 230 total yards and 8-of-20 on third down. The Vikings even benched quarterback Joshua Dobbs for Nick Mullins in an effort to find a start. Yes, star Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson exited early with a chest injury, but that shouldn't take away from the impressive job Las Vegas did defensively.

The offense's performance, however, does take away from that. Had the Raiders found the end zone only once, they would have walked away with a win.

Maxx Crosby Is a Legitimate DPOY Candidate

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Raiders edge Maxx Crosby

Star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby has battled a knee ailment this season and briefly spent time in the hospital with an infection. He played in last week's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs despite being listed as doubtful and was up again against the Vikings.

"If I'm able and have a heartbeat, I'm going to be out there with my brothers and try to go get a win," Crosby said, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

The 26-year-old wasn't just out there for Las Vegas, he was spectacular. He recorded two sacks in the game and spent most of it bringing relentless pressure against Dobbs. As has been the case all season, Crosby's relentless motor allowed him to make an impact even when he wasn't hitting home.

Crosby came into Sunday with 11.5 sacks and an impressive 33 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Reference. While the Raiders may not be playing well enough as a team to make Crosby a front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year, he deserves serious consideration.

The two-time Pro Bowler is one of the most disruptive defenders in the NFL, and he's a catalyst for almost everything else Las Vegas does on defense. He showed his value once again on Sunday.

Antonio Pierce's Bid for Full-Time Job Takes a Hit

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Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce

The Raiders have seemed like a more unified team under Pierce, who does have a chance to have the interim tag removed after the season. More credit should go to Pierce for his willingness to seek help wherever he can get it.

"Sources say former NFL head coaches Tom Coughlin, Marvin Lewis and Adam Gase were all at Raiders headquarters this past week, sitting in on meetings and providing input on all aspects of the football operation amid preparations," NFL Media's Tom Pelissero wrote on Sunday.

Pierce's approach comes in stark contrast to that of predecessor Josh McDaniels—who reportedly bristled at Pierce's attempt to motivate the locker room by bringing up the 2007 New York Giants.

However, Sunday's sloppy performance cannot be considered acceptable, especially coming out of the bye. It's great for a coach to keep his team motivated and understand that he doesn't have all the answers. However, it's a coach's job to have his team prepared to play smart, efficient football.

Las Vegas didn't do enough of that against Minnesota, and Pierce and interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree have to bear the blame.