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NFL: Jon Gruden Says Watching Film of Atlanta Falcons Loss Was Like Getting ‘Teeth Pulled Out’

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden is watching the loss to the Atlanta Falcons and comparing the experience to dental work.

Jon Gruden and the Raiders went down to Georgia and the only thing they got was a 43-6 loss. Week 12 wasn’t exactly what Gruden was looking for and having to watch the loss again on tape is like undergoing oral surgery, reports AP News.

“You ever go to the dentist and have to have your teeth pulled out? It’s pretty much like that,” Gruden said Monday. “This was tough, man.”

The Raiders notched five turnovers against the Falcons during Sunday’s game. As a matter of fact, you can make that six, if you count the turnover on downs on the team’s opening possession on fourth-and-one. Additionally, the Falcons had 11 penalties for 141 yards, and the offense only managed 243 yards against the NFL’s 27th ranked total defense and 31st ranked pass defense.

“Fourth-and-1 we have the ball, we go for it, we get rejected,” Gruden says. “Next possession, first down, we take a shot with an aggressive play-action protection, sack-strip fumble. Right before the half, we’re going in for points, sack-strip fumble. Early in the third quarter, we’re in great field position, interception for a touchdown. We force a kicker to miss a field goal, we rough the kicker and they end up getting seven [points] out of that.

Gruden continues with his distaste for having to rewatch the game. “There wasn’t anything pleasant about watching the tape,” he admits.

The Raiders looked promising earlier this year. They won three straight contests, earning a record of 6-5. Furthermore, they pulled off a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and when it was time to take on the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Raiders had a strong showing against the Chiefs.

Jon Gruden and Las Vegas Raiders Still in the Playoff Hunt

However, the Raiders still have a chance to make the playoffs over the next final five weeks of the season. But the loss to the Falcons didn’t leave them much room for error. Las Vegas now has the hard road in the tough AFC to make it to the playoffs. If they do, this would be the second time in 17 seasons. They will more than likely need to win four of their five finals games.

The Las Vegas Raiders match up against the New York Jets this Sunday. Then round out the 2020 schedule with the Chargers, Broncos, Colts, and Dolphins.

“I’m not going to worry about anything down the road except the Jets,” Gruden confessed, according to AP News. “If you watch the Jets play yesterday, they’re a handful. They are going to be hard to move the ball on… This will be a fistfight, no doubt about it. I got a lot of respect for the way the Jets are competing.”