The NFL regular season has wrapped up with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ having an epic collapse. Sadly, Sunday also marked the end of NFL RedZone for this season.
Even though this week’s top team did not make the playoffs, they could be an early consideration for the breakout team next year. That team is the Las Vegas Raiders.
Silver & Black taking over the feed 📱#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/rkXOup2QC1
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 9, 2024
Do Not Repeat History!
The Las Vegas Raiders may have found a diamond in the rough with interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Mark Davis, whatever you do, please keep him as your head coach. Players love him, fans love him, and the greater NFL media loves him. Hopefully, Vegas learned from its mistake of letting Rich Bisaccia go.
Before Pierce, the Raiders had Josh McDaniels atop the coaching staff. Regarding the head coaching position, Las Vegas went from a snake (an animal most people hate) to a dog (an animal most people love).
The Raiders Since Pierce Took Over
Since Antonio Pierce took over the head coaching duties, the Raiders have won five of their last nine, including games against the Chiefs and Dolphins. They ended the season with an 8-9 record overall.Â
Look what DeMeco Ryans did in one season with his team the Houston Texans. They went from competing for the first overall pick to winning the AFC South. If the Raiders get the right personnel and players, they could potentially win the AFC West next year. After all, Vegas has beaten all three teams in their division at least once this season. The culture within Vegas’ organization and locker room has improved drastically since the beginning of the season, all thanks to Antonio Pierce.Â
This video of Antonio Pierce leaving the field with the fans will give you goosebumps. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/IlydivFON2
— Logan Reever (@loganreever) January 8, 2024
Best Performance by the Raiders?
This was the best game of their quarterback Aidan O’Connell‘s rookie season. O’Connell went 20-for-31 with 244 yards and two touchdowns (one to Jakobi Meyers and the other to Davante Adams). Speaking of Meyers, he had himself a day with three receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing). Zamir White had 25 receptions for 112 yards and one catch for nine yards.Â
On defense, Divine Deablo had six solo tackles and four assisted tackles, which led the team. This defense sacked the Jarrett Stidham-led Denver Broncos five separate times (Isaiah Pola-Mao, Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Adam Butler, and rookie Tyree Wilson all had sacks in this matchup). In addition, Tre’von Moehrig-Woodard had the game’s lone interception.Â
Quick Update on the Top Team Articles
Our Team of the Week articles will continue throughout the playoffs. Obviously, during the playoffs, only the teams still in contention for a Super Bowl trophy are eligible for selection. Make no mistake: the Wild Card is going to be great in terms of just storylines alone. The scriptwriters were cooking this season.
Super Wildcard Weekend Storylines
Here are the storylines going into Super Wild Card Weekend.
- Matthew Stafford goes home to Detroit, the place where his NFL career started in 2009
- The Tyreek Hill Invitational heads to Kansas City
- We get a Lake Erie showdown in Buffalo
- It’s the Mike McCarthy Bowl in Dallas
Fasten your seat belt and get ready for more NFL chaos with higher stakes.
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