Raiders Corral Broncos, Show Faint Signs Of Life

With the game looking like another lost Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders managed to pull one out.

Prior to the Las Vegas Raiders Week 11 game against the Denver Broncos, the team had a relatively loud week in the media. To start, Derek Carr broke down in tears during a postgame interview following the Raiders’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts, frustrated with the team’s lack of buy-in to new head coach Josh McDaniels and the general lack of success surrounding his team. 

Dreaded Vote Of Confidence

Later in the week, Carr and Davante Adams publicly endorsed McDaniels and encouraged the rest of the team to join them in their support. The endorsement came as a bit of a surprise to fans, as rumblings regarding McDaniels job security had grown to shouts in certain corners of social media. 

Bland Assurance

While vouching for a coach, and having the team’s owner confirm his job security, should be seen as a positive, the statements have previously indicated that a hammer was going to fall. Considering the direction of the team, it appears this was a genuine confirmation that McDaniels is safe as the Raiders’ head coach. 

Saving Face

The Raiders’ 2022 season clearly has not met the expectations of the fans, but the team’s 22-16 overtime victory over Denver should instill a drop of hope. Following a public endorsement of a struggling head coach, the team can respond in two ways: acceptance or rejection. Carr and Adams put their reputations as captains on the line by endorsing the coach of the then 2-7 team, and the remainder of the Raiders roster then had to choose between buckling up or getting off the bus. 

Anomaly Or New Pattern?

Although the result is not as pretty as the actual sixty minutes played on the field, the Raiders showed they were closer to buying in than they are to selling out. After losing to the interim coach-led Colts in a disgusting fashion, the Raiders could have hung up their cleats and gone through the motions for a statistically meaningless game against the Broncos. But they didn’t. Sure, the Raiders played a bit soft and undisciplined, recording an above-average nine penalties in the game, but they continued to fight. 

Undisciplined Approach

Even with the penalty count nearing double digits, the Raiders did not turn the ball over and held the Broncos running backs to under four yards per carry. With the Raiders all but statistically eliminated from playoff contention, it would have been so simple to throw in the towel in an attempt to minimize the risk of injury, but this win may be hinting that the team is coming around on McDaniels.

Josh’s Future

Additionally, the way the McDaniels tenure is being handled begins to instill an inkling of a belief that perhaps the Raiders’ struggles are not completely unintentional. It sounds like an absolutely insane idea, to punt an entire season after signing a 29-year-old Davante Adams, but the Raiders’ major factors’ contracts, other than Josh Jacobs, expire after the 2024 season at the very least, meaning this team’s core will still be intact over the coming years.

Work In Progress

The Raiders’ appearance in the 2021 postseason may have shown Mark Davis that the team was not ready for a Super Bowl push, but that they could be soon. It is not entirely outside the realm of possibility that the Raiders are attempting a “power rebuild”, in which they prepare for the departure of many of the team’s less-desirables (read: Mayock-era, early-round draft picks) while increasing the value of the draft picks they will make in 2023. 

Two Worthy Draft Picks

Regardless of what the future holds, Maxx Crosby and Josh Jacobs proved that they deserve to be a part of it. Crosby recorded his eighth and ninth sacks of the year and proved he is the face of this Raiders defense, as his two bring the team’s sack total to 12 on the season. The (budding) superstar also forced a fumble on the Broncos’ goal line, which unfortunately would be recovered by Denver.

Overview

Jacobs once again rushed for over a hundred yards and was an integral part of the Raiders’ offense when the passing game stalled. It also needs to be mentioned that Derek Carr has now, in fact, won a game in which the temperature reached thirty-seven degrees or lower. It is not much, but it shows the weathered veteran is still growing. A “buy in or get out” game can rally the troops for that week, but how the team addresses the remainder of this grueling season will indicate their true level of belief in this new coaching staff.