Close. Out. Games.

Raiders tight end Michael Mayer hauls in a reception against the Buffalo Bills in an NFL against the Buffalo Bills. PHOTO: Courtesy Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders know what must change after another narrow loss, this time to the Buffalo Bills

LAS VEGAS -- Three words.

That's all Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak needed Sunday when asked what his team must improve after another frustrating loss.

"Close games out.”

No elaborate explanation. No excuses. No attempt to soften the disappointment.

The Raiders fell 33-30 to the Buffalo Bills at Allegiant Stadium, dropping to 3-3 after their third consecutive loss, all against teams with legitimate championship aspirations.

But competitiveness hasn't turned into wins against the NFL's better teams, and Kubiak made it clear that keeping games close isn't enough.

"We are not satisfied with any moral victories, and we're a 3-3 football team with everything ahead of us," Kubiak said. "As a team, we did not close the game, and there's plenty of improvement."

Missed opportunities prove costly

The Raiders generated 378 yards of offense, including 313 passing yards from Kirk Cousins, and converted seven of 12 third downs.

But Las Vegas finished just 2 for 5 in the red zone, settling for three Matt Gay field goals in a game decided by three points.

"We're 2-for-5 in the red zone, and that's unacceptable," Kubiak said. "And that starts with me."

Cousins, who completed 23 of 41 passes with two touchdowns and an interception, identified several critical sequences.

The Raiders opened the second half with a three-and-out. Cousins later threw an interception that gave Buffalo a short field, and Las Vegas squandered another late possession with three consecutive incompletions.

"You got to find the inches in the fourth quarter," Cousins said. "You can't go out in second-to-last possession and have three incompletions. You can't in the third quarter throw an interception that gives them a short field, and they get a touchdown off of it."

Cousins also pointed to the offense's inability to convert scoring opportunities into touchdowns.

"Those are all the plays throughout the game that you look back on, and you say, it didn't give us a chance to win," he said.

Players acknowledge the challenge

Wide receiver Tre Tucker, who caught five passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, said the Raiders have demonstrated they can compete against quality opponents.

But competing and winning remain two different things.

"We're in all of them, but great teams close," Tucker said. "So, that's what we got to get figured out this Wednesday."

Offensive lineman Caleb Rogers expressed similar frustration while emphasizing the team's confidence in its ability to improve.

"At the end of the day, we don't want a moral victory. There's no stat for that. There's no column for it," Rogers said.

"As of right now, we're just a really good team who hasn't closed in some games, and we got to close."

The Raiders also must address their sluggish starts after halftime. Cousins acknowledged the offense has struggled coming out of the locker room in recent weeks.

"We have not played good football for the most part," Cousins said. "We've got to be much, much better coming out."

For Kubiak, the solution ultimately comes down to execution rather than encouragement.

The Raiders have proven they can compete.

Now they must prove they can finish.