The Las Vegas Raiders suddenly have a pivotal game on the horizon.
On Sunday, the Raiders (3-12) face the New Orleans Saints (5-10) at the Superdome to close out their slate of road games.
Many fans grew concerned about last week’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, wondering if it caused irreparable damage to the Raiders’ search for a quarterback in the 2025 Draft.
“Look, we work 80 hours a week, the staff. The players come in here 40 plus hours to work. We don’t do this to lose,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said.
“We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. We don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that [expletive] matters to us. The only thing that matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do.”
If the Raiders want to win consecutive games for the first time this season, these are three things to watch:
Quarterback uncertainty
For arguably the first time this season, it’s the Raiders who are more certain about their quarterback situation this week.
An injury to starting quarterback Derek Carr against the New York Giants has lead to backups Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler starting the last two games, with neither showing much success.
Carr, the longtime Raiders starter who was released by the team in 2023, has missed practice this week. However, if he does play, it will be his first game against his former team.
The Raiders are aware of this storyline, as well, meaning Sunday’s game could hold more intrigue and be more emotionally charged than normal.
“I’m excited to play against him,” Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs said. “That’s my dog. Great guy. I haven’t reached out yet, but I’ll see him when I see him.”
Defensive dominance
The Raiders’ defense has begun to take significant strides forward after struggling earlier in the year.
After giving up 20 points or less only once in the first 12 games of the season, the Raiders have not allowed an opponent to hit that mark in three of their last four games.
The biggest difference has been felt in the turnover department, where the Raiders have forced six takeaways in the last three games after having just five coming into that stretch. This includes two turnovers in last week’s game against Jacksonville.
Against a Saints offense that has turned the ball over six times in the last eight games, the Raiders have a good chance to build on that momentum.
“It comes back to the pillars – effort, communication, discipline and take the ball,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said.
“So, if we excel at those four fundamentals, in terms of our effort, in terms of running to the ball, not assuming anything, not assuming the play is over, making sure we tackle it down. Over communicating, making sure everybody’s on the same page, discipline, eliminating the pre snap penalties, playing penalty free within the play, making sure we’re doing our assignments; those all lead to positive things.”
On the same page
Pierce is not the only one in the Raiders organization that is not worried about the draft.
After the Raiders’ victory on Sunday, team owner Mark Davis joined the players and coaching staff in the locker room to celebrate.
While the win left the fanbase clearly conflicted, it is clear that the Raiders are focused solely on winning and ending a rough season on a positive note.
Davis’s presence in the locker room was not lost on the players and coaches.
“I was wondering and waiting for him, and didn’t know where he was at. But it was kind of really cool to hear about,” Pierce said. “It’s always great when the owner has his presence and shows his presence to his team, to his organization, to his staff, his players. … That always goes a long way.”
Antonio Pierce: ‘Talk to Tom Telesco’ about Raiders draft status
