The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to end their season on a high note against a hated divisional foe.
On Sunday, the Raiders (4-12) play their regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) at Allegiant Stadium.
The Chargers, who clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the New England Patriots on Saturday, will be hoping to get a necessary tune-up as they try and get better seeding. The Raiders, meanwhile, can play spoiler for their rival and force them to face a tougher opponent in the wild card round.
“Finish. Finish. We all signed up for 17 games, an 18-week schedule,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said. “We’ve had really a good month in my opinion, regardless of record, just seeing the improvement, things that we talked about, and now just a great opportunity against a divisional foe that we know very well, that we saw in week one, to finish.”
Here are three points of emphasis for the Raiders as they close the book on the 2024 season:
O’Connell gaining confidence
In a stop-and-start season for quarterback Aidan O’Connell, he comes into the season finale hitting his stride.
Since taking over for Gardner Minshew after he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone against the Denver Broncos, O’Connell has continued to prove he belongs in the NFL. While his play has not stopped the chatter about the Raiders needing a franchise quarterback, he has done enough to keep the Raiders competitive in the final month of the season.
This includes the last two weeks, where O’Connell did not turn the ball over once against the Jacksonville Jaguars or New Orleans Saints. Those two efficient outings have coincided with Raiders victories, so the hope is that he has one more such game in him.
“I definitely think it gives me more confidence and more comfortability to be able to talk to them and to address the unit, the team, whatever it might be,” O’Connell said. “But that’s really a testament to my teammates and them placing confidence in me with their actions, but a lot of times with the words, too. So, I’ve been really lucky in that way.”
Win the turnover battle
Along with the offense not turning the ball over in the last two games, the defense has started to make plays on the ball as well.
In the last four games, the Raiders’ defense has come up with eight turnovers. Prior to that stretch, the Raiders had only come up with five.
Last week against the Saints, the Raiders picked off quarterback Spencer Rattler twice in the second half, allowing the offense to extend their lead and effectively ice the game.
“You want to see your team – the arrow pointing up and getting there, regardless of injuries and who’s playing,” said Pierce.
“And I think, really for us, so many young guys playing, just as counts to keep seeing the growth. Like [safety Thomas] Harper last week and watching him play, and again, we talked about a lot of our young offensive players and some D-linemen, just watching the constant growth and just everything we talked about a complete game from all three phases last week, and want to continue that on back to back weeks.”
Take advantage
The Raiders catch the Chargers in an interesting spot, as this will not be the same team that beat them in Week 1.
With the Chargers having their playoff berth locked in, they now wait to see what seed they hold. Their fate ultimately rests with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would lock up the top wild-card spot in the AFC with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers play in the morning while the Chargers face the Raiders in the afternoon, so they should know what is on the line by kickoff. If the Chargers are locked into the sixth seed, the Raiders can expect to see the backups get extended playing time.
“They’re physical,” Pierce said about the Chargers.
“I mean, I think the quarterback (Justin Herbert) is playing really really well, taking care of the football. Number 15, that rookie [Ladd] McConkey is doing a hell of a job. But, I mean it’s the same identity when we were ready for them in Week 1. Physical, downhill, big backs, take care of the football, playing really really well on defense. Obviously, some good numbers there with what they’re doing with the points from a defensive standpoint, but obviously a well-coached team, well prepared. We’ll have our hands full.”
