Welp, that’s all folks. Another season is now in the books. The Las Vegas Raiders officially finish their ’24 campaign with a record of 4-13 after a brutal home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it is finally over.
Thank God it is Over
This was one of the more difficult to watch Raiders’ seasons in a while. At least the bad teams of years past had some fun things to look forward to each week, such as the great defenses of the mid-2000s teams or the freak athletes from Al Davis’ twilight years.
Aside from Brock Bowers, the Silver and Black’s 2024 team was painfully boring. It doesn’t matter how big of a Raiders fan you are, these games have been far from appointment viewing.
There is a reason why Las Vegas’ recent losing seasons have hit differently than they used to. In 2007 and 2012, for example, things were hopeless. Raider Nation was just looking to have fun.
Since 2016, however, expectations have increased. Rebuilding and tanking are no longer palatable. That goes double for a team that cannot even seem to tank right.
How does Sin City not have a top-five draft pick?!
This is incredible. Despite an awful season and winning just four games, the Raiders find themselves pretty far from the top of the draft. Last year, their 4-13 record would have netted a draft position somewhere between second and fifth. That would have guaranteed Las Vegas a chance at one of the six quarterbacks that were selected in the first round.
This year, the Raiders now sit several picks outside of the top three – behind three quarterback-needy teams – in a draft with only two first-round caliber quarterbacks.
The crazy part about all of this is, the Raiders actually won two of their last three meaningless games in order to put themselves in this situation. Losing each of their final three contests would have resulted in Sin City picking first overall.
Instead of conceding down the stretch, Las Vegas strung together a couple of wins and almost had folks convinced that a top draft pick might not be needed. Maybe they were closer to turning things around than we thought.
But in the end..
The Las Vegas Raiders are who we thought they were
It turns out this team is just plain bad. Two wins against slightly better squads who trotted out backup quarterbacks created an illusion of progress. It was quickly shattered when the Raiders faced a competing football team.
The Chargers are a well-coached club with a punishing defense and balanced offense. Also, they have a true franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert.
Currently, the Raiders lack most of those things. Head coach Antonio Pierce has underwhelmed at best. Injuries grant Las Vegas’ defense a bit of a pass, but simply put, injuries are part of the game. On offense, the Raiders failed miserably at replacing running back Josh Jacobs, who is having a great year in Green Bay. That required Las Vegas to become a pass-first team, quarterbacked by Aidan O’Connell. That is a far cry from what they’ve got cooking in Los Angeles.
It is going to be a long road from here in Sin City.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez
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