Josh McDaniels - Field goal doesn't signal lack of confidence in Raiders offense - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — Trailing by eight points and facing fourth-and-4 at the Pittsburgh Steelers' 8-yard line with 2:25 to play, Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels sent out his field goal team.

Less than a minute earlier, Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson had converted a 48-yarder, only for it to be negated by a Steelers penalty, putting the Raiders closer to the end zone.

«You have two choices there,» McDaniels said after the Raiders fell to the Steelers, 23-18, on Sunday night. «You try to make it a five-point game (with the field goal), where you have an opportunity to win it with the touchdown if you get the ball back. Or you try to go for it there. And then if you happen to convert then you've got to make the two-point conversion.»

According to ESPN Analytics, going for it would have given the Raiders a 15.8% win probability, compared to 10.2% by kicking the field goal.

With three timeouts remaining, plus the 2-minute warning, McDaniels had faith that his defense could get the ball back with enough time to drive for a winning score.

Instead, the Steelers started at their own 25-yard line, got a first down, and by the time Las Vegas got the ball back, there were just 12 seconds on the clock, all of the Raiders' timeouts were burned, and they were on their own 15-yard line.

A Jimmy Garoppolo interception — his third of the game — on a deep out pass to Davante Adams on the left sideline ended the game.

Asked if not going for it was a sign of a lack of confidence in the offense, McDaniels shook his head.

«You're going to need another possession anyway, you know what I mean?» he said. «So, it is not a lack of confidence.»

Then how close was McDaniels to going for it on fourth-and-4?

«I don't know, I mean, we kicked one earlier