Raiders Year-End Round-Up:
Raiders Buck Broncos, End Season on a High Note

While their playoff hopes may have ended the week before in Indianapolis, the Las Vegas Raiders still had plenty to play for in week 18 against the Denver Broncos.

 

For starters, Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce is still putting together his case for the full time gig. Thanks to the win against Denver, Pierce finished with a 5-4 record as the head coach. Not headline-making numbers, sure, but three of those wins were against the division, including a game on the road in Kansas City. Prior to that game, the Raiders had lost 16 of their previous 18 match-ups against the Chiefs. In case you’re not a math major, that’s bad. 

 

People will want to point to the 3-0 loss against the Vikings as a reason for him to not get the job, but Antonio Pierce is a defensive minded coach and player, and he’s not making the play calls for the offense. You’re going to win 99% of games when you hold your opponent to 3 points, so it seems unfair to say this loss falls on Pierce’s shoulders. Hopefully Mark Davis will keep Pierce on, and let Pierce bring on an offensive coordinator that he thinks will compliment a defense that performed way better than anybody, including myself, expected. 

 

Speaking of over-performing, this Raiders team was filled with players who exceeded expectations. For as mediocre of a season as Josh Jacobs had, second year running back Zamir White averaged an impressive 4.3 yards per carry, including a pair of 100 yard rushing games in the final 3 weeks of the season. 

 

This does not bode well for Josh Jacobs, who agreed to a one year contract with Las Vegas, hoping to get a big payday in 2024. If the Raiders can use White and Abdullah (who averaged nearly 6 yards per carry on limited touches) effectively, there will be no reason to pay Jacobs, and that money can be used on free agents and big contracts to current players who have produced.

 

Another player with a lot of question marks around him is star WR Davante Adams. Adams’ numbers in Las Vegas have been very good, albeit not the “superstar” level numbers we were used to seeing him produce a few years prior. Part of that reason is age; Adams is 31 years old. While he still has a ton of gas in the tank, it would be foolish to say he’s as explosive as he was 5 years ago. He is still a huge name, and I can think of a huge market with a hugely egotistical quarterback who put up huge numbers with Adams in Green Bay. If leveraged properly, the Raiders could work a huge trade in their favor to ship Adams to New York. Huge. 

 

The other reason Adams saw his numbers drop off from his Green Bay days is he hasn’t had a quarterback who can properly utilize him. Derek Carr is a solid QB, and Aiden O’Connell is a rookie who stepped up and played better than expected (I’m starting to sound like a broken record, aren’t I?), but neither of them are the type of playmaker who can get the most out of Adams. 

 

So we have two options: the first is to ship Adams to New York for a king’s ransom, or to find the franchise-making QB that has eluded us for quite some time. As far as star free agents go, the list begins and ends with Kirk Cousins. If Minnesota doesn’t re-sign him, Cousins will be the best option for Las Vegas to sign. He’s had many successful seasons with Justin Jefferson, so he clearly knows how to get the most out of an elite WR. 

 

If we can’t get Cousins, we’re going to have to draft. Six QB’s are projected to go in the first round of next year’s draft. If the Raiders are confident the next face of the franchise is one of those six, then sure, pull the trigger. However, if that move backfires, we may regret it for years to come (I’m looking at you, Jamarcus Russell).

 

If I were the GM of the Raiders, I’m shipping Adams for as much as I can possibly get for him (bolster that offensive line and stack yourself with possession receivers), and developing O’Connell for another year. 

 

Let’s get back to the defense. Entering this season, I thought we were going to have Maxx Crosby tearing up offensive lines (I was correct), and Marcus Peters picking off qb’s all season long (I was incorrect). Peters got justifiably cut, and a slew of other players made names for themselves in the process. Nate Hobbs, Robert Spillane, Malcolm Koonce, Jack Jones, Divine Diablo, and Tre’von Moehrig all stepped up throughout the season and contributed to one of the best defensive teams the Raiders have had in the last 20 years. 

 

Even first round pick Tyree Wilson, who looked like he was going to be another first round bust for Las Vegas, ended the season strong. He had two sacks and a fumble recovery in the last 5 games of the season. If he can develop and help anchor the other side of the line, this can be a top 5 defense next year. 

 

While it was a tumultuous season, and we did finish one game short of my pre-season prediction, we need to look no further than the last game of the year against the Broncos to see what this team is capable of moving forward. O’Connell went 20 for 31 for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He completed passes to seven different players, all while playing without Josh Jacobs and TE Michael Meyer, another rookie who really stepped up and developed as the season went on. 

 

Jakobi Meyers had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the game, making 10 touchdowns on the year. Zamir White notched 112 rushing yards and Rookie WR Tre Tucker had 5 catches, including a beautiful 47 yard reception that set up a score at the end of the first half. The defense sacked the quarterback 5 times and had an interception, and the Raiders never spent a single second playing from behind, winning 27-14.

 

This is a young, talented team, with playmakers on both sides of the ball. Once He Who Shall Not Be Named was relieved of his coaching duties, the Raiders played with passion and intensity, winning over half of their games. To bring this full circle, the reason for this team’s second half success should ultimately be attributed to Antonio Pierce. The players believe in him, as do the fans. With a little more than a minute left in the game, Allegiant Stadium busted into an “AP!” chant, letting Mark Davis know he can interview anybody he wants, but the leader of this team is already here.

 

2023 was a wild ride, but when all was said and done, this team played well and has true optimism for the first time in a while. Let’s see what 2024 has in store. Happy New Year, and hopefully happy new permanent head coach.