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The Raiders dropped to 2-6 with a loss in Week 9 in Jacksonville, which followed a similar script. They jumped out to a big lead but fell apart late. It was their third loss after leading by 17 or more points this season, already tying an NFL single-season mark of futility.

You can point fingers in a lot of places, including Josh McDaniels, but I'll start with one of the best QB-WR duos in the NFL.

Derek Carr was 10-for-10 for 146 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating targeting Davante Adams in the first three quarters in Week 9. Then it all fell apart.

Adams caught 0-of-7 targets in the fourth quarter. It was the most targets without a catch by any player in any quarter of a game since 2003 when Isaac Bruce also went 0-of-7 in the fourth quarter.

So it's been nearly two decades, 19 years to be exact, since a receiver caught 0-of-7 targets in a quarter. Consider between those goose eggs there's been 713 instances of a player getting seven targets in a quarter, including playoffs.

That seems to be just the tip of the iceberg for the former college teammates. Carr has completed just 8-of-29 passes to Adams in the fourth quarter and overtime this season. That is the worst completion rate (27.6%) among any duo in the NFL through 8 games in the last 5 seasons. That's among 397 duos with 10 pass attempts. In just the final three minutes of regulation they are 0-for-12. I repeat. 0-for-12.

It's not like they are struggling the rest of the game. They've connected on over 70 percent of their passes in the first three quarters, good for a 132.2 passer rating.

Derek Carr targeting Davante Adams this season

First 3 Quarters

4th Quarter/OT

Completions/attempts

40/56

8/29

Completion percentage

71%

28%

Passer rating

132.2

51.4

Their connection issues have especially hurt in the three games where Las Vegas blew 17-point leads. Carr is 3-for-17 (17.6%) targeting Adams in the fourth quarter and overtime of those games. 

So what's going on? I watched all 29 of their late-game passes this year and have come to this conclusion: There's not one glaring issue, but a multitude, and they are so close to clicking. Here's a look at those issues:

Pressure: Carr has been pressured on 45 percent of his passes to Adams in the fourth quarter and overtime, up from 25 percent through three quarters. He had Adams open for a big chunk on Sunday, but pressure in his face caused this throw to be off, ever so slightly.

Off-target: Even when he isn't pressured, Carr has been uncharacteristically off, like this miss on the run to a wide-open Adams in the same game.

Miscommunication: Despite their time together at Fresno State, Carr and Adams apparently don't share a telepathic relationship. Carr expected Adams to be ready for this back-shoulder fade on 3rd-and-2, but they weren't on the same page. 

Just a tick off: As this throw (a completion overturned by replay) against the Chiefs proved, it's a game of inches and they might just be a tick off, or one play away from finding a groove. 

When explaining Sunday's frustrating collapse, Adams seemed to point to the coaching staff. "The way we were attacking in the first half, it was working," Adams said. "We got away from that and started playing the game a little different."

McDaniels may eventually be the one who falls on the sword, but it's hard to ignore the staggering numbers above. Carr and Adams are the second-highest-paid QB-WR duo in the NFL (behind Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins), making $68.5M combined per year. The Raiders gave both big contracts this offseason and traded a first- and second-round pick to acquire Adams and reunite the best friends. They hitched their wagon to the pair and so far the wheels are falling off. They are putting up some of the worst crunch-time numbers in the league. Whatever the reason for those struggles, the Raiders desperately need better production down the stretch from their star duo. The pressure will only mount on this pair to produce as they are placing two Pro Bowl pass catchers on IR, tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.