season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-antonio-pierce-fiery-response-missing-no-1-draft-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'Antonio Pierce issues fiery response to potentially missing out on No. 1 draft pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Antonio-Pierce-issues-fiery-tirade-in-response-to-potentially-missing-out-on-No.-1-draft-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Antonio Pierce issues fiery response to potentially missing out on No. 1 draft pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T12:20:00-08:00">December 23rd, 12:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T12:20:00-08:00">December 23rd, 12:20pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-antonio-pierce-reacts-to-ending-10-game-losing-streak-amid-job-security-whispers">Las Vegas Raiders ended a 10-game losing streak</a> in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, many of their supporters were upset with the result. Despite the positive result, fans expressed frustration with head coach Antonio Pierce for the win, which could have cost the team the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>Pierce, however, was blunt with his reaction to the notion, which he quickly shrugged off. In his media presser on Monday, the coach <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMLmihCxamI" rel="noopener">candidly stated</a> that he is not coaching “to lose” and gives no thought to the draft discussion.</p><p>“We don’t do this to lose,” Pierce told reporters. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team or draft projections. None of that s*** matters to us. The only thing that matters is winning, that’s all we want to do.”</p><p>The response came seconds after he replied with “no comment” to a direct question about losing the No. 1 overall pick. Pierce gave a similar response immediately after the win when he told reporters to “ask [general manager] Tom Telesco” when he received the same question.</p><p>Entering Week 16, the Raiders closely trailed the New York Giants for the No. 1 overall pick in April 2025. However, with their win and the Giants’ subsequent loss, New York became the sole frontrunner for the top selection. The correlating results give the Giants a <a href="https://x.com/JordanRaanan/status/1871003024975356175" rel="noopener">sizeable 57.5 percent chance</a> to secure the No. 1 pick, per Jordan Raanan.</p><p>With two games left in the season, the Raiders are likely to end the year with the No. 2 overall pick. They now share an identical 3-12 record with the Jaguars, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.</p><h2><b>Antonio Pierce’s connection to the Giants</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Antonio-Pierce-issues-fiery-tirade-in-response-to-potentially-missing-out-on-No.-1-draft-pick-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Pierce’s connection to the Giants only heightened criticism from Raiders fans on social media. Fourteen years before he became the head coach of Las Vegas, Pierce ended his nine-year NFL career with the G-Men.</p><p>Pierce spent the final five years of his professional career in East Rutherford after four years with the Washington Commanders, then known as the Redskins. He served as the Giants’ starting middle linebacker in every game he appeared in and was an integral part of the team’s Super Bowl XLII victory in 2008.</p><p>Less than four years after his retirement in 2010, Pierce began his coaching career. He started as the head coach of Long Beach Poly High School, where he would remain for four seasons. He then became the linebackers coach at Arizona State before accepting a position with the Raiders in 2022. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-hiring-antonio-pierce-full-time-head-coach">Pierce would eventually be promoted to head coach</a> in 2024 after spending the previous season as the interim.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Antonio Pierce issues fiery response to potentially missing out on No. 1 draft pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-brock-bowers-downplays-stressful-record-chase-winning');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raiders’ Brock Bowers downplays ‘stressful’ record chase after finally winning');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Brock-Bowers-downplays-stressful-record-chase-after-finally-winning.jpg"></figure><h1>Raiders’ Brock Bowers downplays ‘stressful’ record chase after finally winning</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T09:02:07-08:00">December 23rd, 9:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T09:02:07-08:00">December 23rd, 9:02am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the Las Vegas Raiders secured their third win of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it sparked an honest reaction from rookie tight end, Brock Bowers. After he spent his time with Georgia football and a two-time National Champion, it’s been anything but.</p><p>However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-brock-bowers-joins-exclusive-club-in-historic-rookie-season">Bowers joined an exclusive club in the Raiders win</a>. He became one of three tight ends to have over 1,000 receiving yards in their rookie season. The Raiders first-year player joined Kyle Pitts and Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka in that list. Regardless, Bowers was simply happy to secure the win.</p><p>He spoke with The Athletic after the game and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6014402/2024/12/22/raiders-win-mark-davis-jaguars/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">explained his immediate reaction</a> to the game, despite reports of chasing the No. 1 pick. “Thinking about records just stresses me out,” Bowers said. “I just want to win. The vibes are way better. It’s awesome to see the owner in here so happy for once.”</p><p>Las Vegas has been through a shaky season so far, and some of it isn’t their fault. Rather, simply bad luck. Starting quarterback Gardner Minshew II suffered a season-ending collarbone injury. As a result, second-year player Aidan O’Connell took the reigns. However, he battled an injury, which forced the Raiders to sign Desmond Ridder.</p><p>They remained competitive through all of it, taking the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs down to the wire. Still, Bowers has shown out and been the promising piece of a Las Vegas rebuild.</p><h2><b>Will Brock Bowers keep playing as the Raiders aim closer to a top pick?</b></h2><p>It’s tough to say. After all, the Jaguars and the Raiders have the same record heading into Week 17. Despite this though, head coach Antonio Pierce is determined to have them be a competitive team. Still, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-best-qbs-raiders-giants-tank-2025-nfl-draft">Raiders need a franchise quarterback</a>. Luckily, the 2025 NFL Draft is loaded with premier quarterback talent. Players like Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, Dillon Gabriel, and Quinn Ewers highlight a talented class.</p><p>Even with the Raiders don’t land the No. 1 or the No. 2 pick, there are plenty of options to go with. Furthermore, Las Vegas could have Bowers be a pivotal part of the process. He’s their best pass-catcher by a mile, even as a rookie. Establishing a quality franchise quarterback could elevate the team to previous success.</p><p>Las Vegas has <a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rai/2024/gamelog/" rel="noopener">two more games</a>, one against the New Orleans Saints and one against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Saints are fighting for pride, after their head coach was fired midway through the season. On the other hand, the Chargers could be fighting for a playoff spot or better positioning. The Raiders could play spoiler in Week 18, even if it means costing them a shot at the No. 2 pick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raiders’ Brock Bowers downplays ‘stressful’ record chase after finally winning

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-antonio-pierce-reacts-to-ending-10-game-losing-streak-amid-job-security-whispers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raiders’ Antonio Pierce reacts to ending 10-game losing streak amid job security whispers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Antonio-Pierce-reacts-to-ending-10game-losing-streak-amid-job-security-whispers.jpg"></figure><h1>Raiders’ Antonio Pierce reacts to ending 10-game losing streak amid job security whispers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T08:42:04-08:00">December 23rd, 8:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T08:42:04-08:00">December 23rd, 8:42am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-mark-davis-team-dances-off-draft-concerns-over-jaguars">Las Vegas Raiders’ fans look towards the NFL Draft</a> because of their record, they still can celebrate that they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, 19-14. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-brock-bowers-joins-exclusive-club-in-historic-rookie-season">Raiders win highlighted by Brock Bowers</a>, who continues to have a historic season, it was their first victory after losing the last 10 games as head coach Antonio Pierce gave his reaction.</p><p>With Pierce being surrounded by rumors involving his job security, a win was needed to show he could rally the players and lead the team in a way that can show owner Mark Davis he should be here for the long haul. Pierce called the victory <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6014402/2024/12/22/raiders-win-mark-davis-jaguars/?source=emp_shared_article" rel="noopener">“overdue”</a> and that he is “proud” of the group around him according to The Athletic.</p><p>“It’s long overdue,” Pierce said. “It’s good to see all of those smiling faces from our players, our staff, and everybody involved in our organization. Obviously, you don’t want to go what we went over the last 10 weeks, but that’s behind us. … I’m very proud of this group for being resilient, blocking out the outside noise, and playing for one another.”</p><h2><b>Raiders’ Antonio Pierce addresses the “outside noise”</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Antonio-Pierce-on-Dec.-22-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-shedeur-sanders-nfl-draft-preference-raiders-fans-hyped">talk of the Raiders is about their future quarterback plans</a> in terms of the NFL Draft, Pierce would even talk about the <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/antonio-pierce-its-good-just-to-stop-talking-about-losing" rel="noopener">“outside noise”</a> since the team kept losing in that aforementioned 10-game skid according to NBC Sports. The team would start the year 2-2 which is why it was surprising to some to see how much defeat they have suffered this season.</p><p>“Yeah, it was good just to stop talking about losing,” Pierce said. “It’s all about winning. That was the song we were playing when we walked through the locker room. It’s always a good feeling because you put in all this work and to have repeated losses, and then put that to the side and just watch the team’s victory. What these guys are playing for, all this BS noise on the outside — like I told those gentlemen in there, it’s all about us. It doesn’t matter about the outside noise.”</p><h2><b>Raiders owner Mark Davis celebrates with team</b></h2><p>One of the highlights this season has no doubt been on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-brock-bowers-roy-case-breaking-sam-laportas-record">Raiders rookie in Bowers who once again</a> had a productive game, catching 11 passes on 13 targets for 99 yards. He is only five catches away from breaking the all-time rookie record for receptions as it’s currently held by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua who had 105.</p><p>“Thinking about records just stresses me out,” Bowers said. “I just want to win. … The vibes are way better. … It’s awesome to see the owner in here so happy for once.”</p><p>The team owner Davis would celebrate the win with his team which garnered the attention of Las Vegas offensive lineman and captain Kolton Miller.</p><p>“It’s great to see,” Miller said via The Athletic. “It speaks to the owner backing us and the belief that we have in the team and coaching staff playing for one another. We’re still fighting no matter the record or losing streak. It was great to see the smile on his face, and it means a lot to the players.”</p><p>The Raiders are now 3-12 as they look to end the season on a positive note when they next face the New Orleans Saints.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raiders’ Antonio Pierce reacts to ending 10-game losing streak amid job security whispers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-maxx-crosby-unintentionally-sparks-chiefs-trade-buzz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raiders’ Maxx Crosby unintentionally sparks Chiefs trade buzz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raiders-news-Maxx-Crosby-unintentionally-sparks-Chiefs-trade-buzz.jpg"></figure><h1>Raiders’ Maxx Crosby unintentionally sparks Chiefs trade buzz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T18:50:19-08:00">December 22nd, 6:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T20:19:11-08:00">December 22nd, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Dakota Zientek</a>Dakota Zientek graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020 and has been writing about the NFL ever since. As a die-hard NFL fan, Dakota's fandom rides with the Chicago Bears through thick and thin -- regardless of how much pain it has caused his heart throughout the years. One day, he believes he will celebrate the Bears winning a Super Bowl. Maybe even... a few?</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While his 2024 season was cut short due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-maxx-crosby-season-likely-over-after-ankle-surgery-update">requiring season-ending ankle surgery</a>, Las Vegas Raiders defensive star Maxx Crosby had social media buzzing after the pass rusher <a href="https://x.com/CrosbyMaxx/status/1870974725486461401" rel="noopener">unintentionally sparked</a> trade rumors with the Kansas City Chiefs during his team’s Week 16 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.</p><p>“KC,” Crosby wrote on X, followed by five flame emojis.</p><p>Now, Crosby’s set to miss the rest of the season due to his ankle surgery, but fans all over social media thought the Raiders’ pass rusher was hinting at being traded to the Chiefs.</p><p>In fact, one user even replied to Crosby with an <a href="https://x.com/RasheeTouchdown/status/1870984550706483404" rel="noopener">AI-generated photo</a> of him in a Chiefs uniform.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thats where you’re playing next season buddy <a href="https://t.co/TJUVjFMpR1">pic.twitter.com/TJUVjFMpR1</a></p><p>— Julio (@RasheeTouchdown) <a href="https://twitter.com/RasheeTouchdown/status/1870984550706483404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>However, with social media sleuths cracking the case, it appeared that Crosby was just showing love for his teammate on a big play during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-mark-davis-team-dances-off-draft-concerns-over-jaguars">Raiders’ win on Sunday</a>.</p><h2><b>Maxx Crosby’s social media post was for Raiders’ EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, not a trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KLavon-Chaisson.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While some thought Crosby’s social media post was about a future trade to the Chiefs, he was actually just excited about Raiders’ K’Lavon Chaisson after a crucial third-down sack on Mac Jones.</p><p>It was relatively silly to think Crosby was talking about the Chiefs for multiple reasons.</p><p>The first reason is that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2024-nfl-trade-deadline-buyers-sellers#:~:text=The%202024%20NFL%20trade%20deadline%20is%20on%20Tuesday%2C%20Nov.,trades%20will%20occur%20than%20normal.">NFL trade deadline</a> has already come and gone. If the Chiefs were to trade for him, it’d be weird timing for Crosby to say something in Week 16 of the regular season.</p><p>The earliest the Raiders could ship Crosby off is Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 4 p.m. ET. So, why would Crosby be this excited about a trade that couldn’t be made for another three-ish months?</p><p>On top of that, Crosby’s been very clear that he’d like to spend <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-maxx-crosby-addresses-trade-buzz">his entire career with the Raiders</a> if he could choose.</p><p>Sure, people can say one thing and do another, but if Crosby really wanted out of Las Vegas, he’d have tried to get traded earlier than Week 16.</p><p>Again, the Chiefs couldn’t even trade for Crosby right now if they wanted to. There’s no doubt they’d want to, as there are probably 31 other teams besides the Raiders who would like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bears-2-best-trade-targets-round-out-2024-roster">Crosby on their defense</a>.</p><p>But, Raiders fans can all let out a sigh of relief, as their star pass rusher doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. He was just showing love for his guy Chaisson for coming away with the crucial sack in their first win since Week 4 of the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raiders’ Maxx Crosby unintentionally sparks Chiefs trade buzz

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/giants-news-new-york-2025-nfl-draft-destiny-wild-turn-raiders-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants 2025 NFL Draft destiny takes wild turn after Raiders win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Giants-news-New-York-s-2025-NFL-Draft-destiny-takes-wild-turn-after-Raiders-win-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants 2025 NFL Draft destiny takes wild turn after Raiders win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T18:03:10-08:00">December 22nd, 6:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T18:58:49-08:00">December 22nd, 6:58pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Giants lost <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/giants-new-new-york-makes-brutal-franchise-history-hapless-loss-falcons">to the Atlanta Falcons 34-7 in Week 16</a>. Later in the day, the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14. Those two results have major implications for April’s NFL Draft. The Giants are now alone with a 2-13 record and hold the first overall pick in the draft while the Raiders are among five teams with three wins.</p><p>“The Raiders win over the Jaguars could have dramatic repercussions: The Giants now control their own destiny for the No. 1 overall pick. Las Vegas has 3 [wins], NYG has 2. Giants lose out and they get the top pick,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1870990915273384127" rel="noopener">posted on social media</a>.</p><p>Giants fans were thrilled by the Raiders’ win on Sunday. With a decade of mediocrity behind them, they have a chance to take a franchise quarterback with the top pick. Big Blue fans took to social media to react to the Raiders win, many noting that Las Vegas head coach Antonio Pierce was a Super Bowl Champion with the Giants.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/fZBg8yjE4v">pic.twitter.com/fZBg8yjE4v</a></p><p>— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbySkinner_/status/1870990012466209003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>@MONTECRI5TO went all-caps<a href="https://x.com/MONTECRI5TO/status/1870989782668722515" rel="noopener"> thanking the former linebacker</a>. “RAIDERS!! AP GIVING THR GIANTS SOME HELP!!”</p><p>@nickfalato <a href="https://x.com/nickfalato/status/1870991376781041994" rel="noopener">poked fun at his favorite team while celebrating</a>. “The #Giants all but locking up that number one pick with this Raiders win. Unless of course the Giants wi…never mind.”</p><h2><b>The top draft pick is the reward for a miserable Giants season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Brian-Daboll-with-NY-Giants-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The New York Yankees and Mets have won games more recently than the Giants. With ten straight losses, jobs are in jeopardy and eyes are on the draft. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/giants-news-brian-daboll-sounds-like-broken-record-10th-straight-loss">Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen may not keep their jobs</a> despite the reports from earlier in the year that they would. If they do, they would have the opportunity to draft their first quarterback in New York.</p><p>Daboll led the Giants to the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record in his first year with the team. Schoen decided to re-sign Daniel Jones to a monster contract after they beat the Vikings in the playoffs. The former sixth-overall pick never lived up to that deal. With the Jones experiment ending earlier this year, they need a quarterback.</p><p>The Giants could draft Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback from Colorado and the son of Deion Sanders. After a 9-3 regular season with the Buffaloes, many see Sanders as the best quarterback prospect. Daboll and Schoen got these jobs because they scouted and developed Josh Allen in Buffalo. Given the opportunity to pick a quarterback, maybe they can turn the Giants into the Bills.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants 2025 NFL Draft destiny takes wild turn after Raiders win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-mark-davis-team-dances-off-draft-concerns-over-jaguars');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mark Davis and Raiders dance off NFL Draft concerns after win over Jaguars');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Las-Vegas-Mark-Davis-dance-off-NFL-Draft-concerns-after-win-over-Jaguars.jpg"></figure><h1>Mark Davis and Raiders dance off NFL Draft concerns after win over Jaguars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T17:43:19-08:00">December 22nd, 5:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T17:45:59-08:00">December 22nd, 5:45pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Las Vegas Raiders traded their cleats for dancing shoes inside the locker room Sunday. The Silver and Black did more than beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14 to end their 10-game losing streak. The team, including owner Mark Davis, danced their way out of landing the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>Vegas players <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1870998136371794074" rel="noopener">indeed were in a jovial mood</a>, per Raiders insider for The Athletic Tashan Reed. Turns out tanking for the top pick was an afterthought on this Sunday.</p><p>“Raiders owner Mark Davis was in the locker room clapping and talking to Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole when the locker room opened to the media. Some other players were dancing. Davis was in a good mood,” Reed shared on X. “Doesn’t seem to care about the draft order ramifications of the win over JAX.”</p><p>So long Travis Hunter, and any thought Raider fans had for the Heisman Trophy winner landing in Sin City. The Raiders’ win certainly re-arranged the current draft order in a big way.</p><h2><b>What NFL Draft order now looks like after Raiders win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Aidan-OConnell-of-the-Raiders.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Raiders improved to 3-12 overall in what’s already been a lost season. Aidan O’Connell went 24-of-38 for 257 yards. He even withstood two sacks. Brock Bowers snatched 11 receptions for 99 yards.</p><p>Their win not only dropped them out of the No. 1 overall pick conversation, but Reed points out Vegas <a href="https://x.com/tashanreed/status/1870991743002501267" rel="noopener">is outside the top five now</a>.</p><p>“The Patriots (3-12) just lost, so the Raiders now have the No. 6 pick in the draft behind the Giants (2-13), Titans (3-12), Browns (3-12), Jaguars (3-12) and New England,” Reed shared.</p><p>Hunter isn’t the only afterthought for Vegas. Some Raider fans held up a “Tank for Shedeur” sign — for Hunter’s heralded quarterback teammate at Colorado Shedeur Sanders. Sanders, however, is anticipated to fall no lower than No. 5 in the April draft.</p><p>The Raiders’ long-awaited victory brought out mixed emotions. Bowers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-brock-bowers-joins-exclusive-club-in-historic-rookie-season">who joined an exclusive club against the Jaguars</a>, told CBS Sports’ AJ Ross how giddy he was about winning again.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm just so happy right now. Just being able to finally win one. It feels good."</p><p>A giddy Brock Bowers caught up with <a href="https://twitter.com/AJRoss_TV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJRoss_TV</a> after the <a href="https://twitter.com/Raiders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Raiders</a> W <a href="https://t.co/oS1s8RPuxy">pic.twitter.com/oS1s8RPuxy</a></p><p>— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1870994485410480316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Head coach Antonio Pierce even deflected answering the top pick question. He encouraged reporters to talk to general manager Tom Telesco instead.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Talk to Tom Telesco.”</p><p>Raiders coach Antonio Pierce responds to talk of potentially losing out on the no.1 overall pick after beating the Jaguars.</p><p>🎥: By <a href="https://twitter.com/Sean_Zittel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sean_Zittel</a>, Vegas Sports Today<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaiderNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RaiderNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/YLCGKZvaG0">pic.twitter.com/YLCGKZvaG0</a></p><p>— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) <a href="https://twitter.com/VegasSportsTD/status/1870995319028359298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>However, multiple Raider fans criticized the team for winning. Those fans have to now accept that Hunter or Sanders aren’t a guaranteed lock to fall to them.</p><p>Still, their team couldn’t help but smile and dance after beating the Jaguars. Even Davis joined in on the jubilation — as the Raiders danced out of the top overall selection.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mark Davis and Raiders dance off NFL Draft concerns after win over Jaguars

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-brock-bowers-joins-exclusive-club-in-historic-rookie-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raiders’ Brock Bowers joins exclusive club in historic rookie season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Brock-Bowers-joins-exclusive-club-in-historic-rookie-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Raiders’ Brock Bowers joins exclusive club in historic rookie season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T14:44:48-08:00">December 22nd, 2:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T15:13:10-08:00">December 22nd, 3:13pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Las Vegas Raiders have endured a rather forgettable 2024 season. Brock Bowers, however, has delivered unforgettable moments for the Silver and Black. The dynamic tight end now has joined an exclusive club.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rookie-of-the-year-power-rankings-mitchell-makes-mark">Bowers is already the league’s third-best impactful rookie this season</a>. The rookie surpassed the 1,000-yard mark against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Bowers <a href="https://x.com/RAIDERS_PR/status/1870946626510196962" rel="noopener">is now a part of a short list of TEs</a> who’ve accomplished such a feat, per the Raiders’ Public Relations department.</p><p>“Brock Bowers has now eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. One of only three tight ends in NFL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in his first NFL season. Joining Kyle Pitts and Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka,” the Raiders’ PR X page posted.</p><p>That means Bowers has set the rookie TE mark for receiving yardage by a Raiders player. He elevated his total yards to 1,004 early against the Jaguars inside Allegiant Stadium. He could be eyeing an NFL record too.</p><h2><b>Raiders’ Brock Bowers nearing longstanding NFL record</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Brock-Bowers.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Bowers becomes the first NFL TE to scale the century mark since Pitts in 2021, who tallied 1,026 yards. But at this pace, he could be eyeing a longstanding NFL record.</p><p>Mike Ditka remains the NFL record-holder for most single-season receiving yards by a TE at 1,076. The NFL Hall of Famer hit that mark in 1961.</p><p>The first-rounder out of Georgia is looking more like the biggest threat to shatter that mark. Ditka tallied his yardage during a time the league played 14 regular-season games. Bowers still has three games left including the Sunday Jaguars game.</p><p>The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder needs only 73 more yards to break Ditka’s 63-year-old record. Las Vegas still has the road trip to New Orleans and the season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers to come.</p><p>Bowers has a chance to take down Ditka’s mark either during Sunday’s game or even early against the Saints. The 22-year-old who once grew up in the Raiders’ former training camp city of Napa has now become the newest beloved member of Raiders nation. And a record-breaking threat at that for Vegas.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raiders’ Brock Bowers joins exclusive club in historic rookie season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-antonio-pierce-says-aidan-oconnell-good-to-go-for-jaguars-contest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Antonio Pierce says Aidan O’Connell ‘good to go’ for Raiders vs. Jaguars');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raiders-news-Antonio-Pierce-says-Aidan-OConnell-good-to-go-for-Jaguars-contest.jpg"></figure><h1>Antonio Pierce says Aidan O’Connell ‘good to go’ for Raiders vs. Jaguars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T12:40:09-08:00">December 20th, 12:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T12:40:09-08:00">December 20th, 12:40pm</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Las Vegas Raiders have been one of the worst teams in the NFL during the 2024 season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-power-rankings-week-16-bills-win-shootout-seahawks-struggle">Las Vegas is 2-12 heading into Week 16</a> and currently controls <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-way-too-early-targets-raiders-2025-nfl-draft">the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft</a>. One reason for the Raiders’ struggles this season has been their poor talent at the quarterback position. Thankfully, the Raiders just got some good injury news.</p><p>Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters on Friday that Aidan O’Connell “<a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1870187706388480180" rel="noopener">should be good to go</a>” for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.</p><p>This is huge news for the Raiders, though it will not have much of an impact on their season.</p><p>Backup QB Desmond Ridder played in relief of O’Connell on Monday night and played awfully. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-aidan-oconnell-huge-week-16-injury-update">Pierce maintained his confidence in O’Connell returning</a>, stating on Tuesday that he is “trending upwards to playing this week.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-aidan-oconnell-injury-confirmed-season-ending">O’Connell suffered what look like a season-ending injury</a> when he was carted off the field during Week 14. However, it was later reported that the injury was not as severe as originally reported.</p><p>Even if O’Connell coming back does not help the Raiders in 2024, it is a positive sign that O’Connell can overcome this injury in the long term.</p><p>Of course, he may not be the future quarterback of the Raiders for much longer.</p><h2><b>Shedeur Sanders rumored to prefer Raiders as landing spot in 2025 NFL Draft</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Shedeur-Sanders-1.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Raiders should have their pick of the litter in the 2025 NFL Draft if they officially secure the first overall pick. This year’s class does not feature a ton of quarterback talent, but there are a few players the Raiders may have their eyes on.</p><p>One of those players would be Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. The quarterback, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-rumors-shedeur-sanders-nfl-draft-preference-raiders-fans-hyped">rumored to prefer being drafted by Las Vegas in the first place</a>.</p><p>“Multiple sources close to Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado program believe his preference would be to land in Las Vegas,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan wrote in an article on Friday.</p><p>This is incredible news for the Raiders, if true. Some people in NFL circles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-fires-back-false-shedeur-sanders-nfl-draft-reports">worry that Deion Sanders would push for certain teams to not draft his son</a> if he does not view them as a good landing spot. Think the Eli Manning situation with the Chargers.</p><p>Therefore, if Shedeur already wants to go to Las Vegas, then there’s nothing to worry about.</p><p>Sanders would be a great fit with the Raiders and become their next franchise quarterback if drafted.</p><p>Raiders fans just have to wait a few weeks to learn if they have the top pick in this year’s draft. Then the rest is up to the front office.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Antonio Pierce says Aidan O’Connell ‘good to go’ for Raiders vs. Jaguars

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl-rumors-shedeur-sanders-nfl-draft-preference-raiders-fans-hyped');   ga('set', 'title', 'NFL rumors: Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft ‘preference’ will get Raiders fans hyped');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NFL-rumors-Shedeur-Sanders-NFL-Draft-preference-will-get-Raiders-fans-hyped.jpg"></figure><h1>NFL rumors: Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft ‘preference’ will get Raiders fans hyped</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T09:59:10-08:00">December 20th, 9:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T09:59:10-08:00">December 20th, 9:59am</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/bingeable">Sonny Giuliano</a>Sonny Giuliano is an experienced sports writer for ClutchPoints who has been covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and NCAA Basketball for well over a decade. Originally from the small town of Elba, New York, Sonny received his degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders may still have one game left to play before his collegiate career comes to an end, but even with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-travis-hunter-praise-byu-coach-alamo-bowl">BYU Cougars ahead in the Alamo Bowl</a>, it doesn’t mean that the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year isn’t already looking ahead to life in the NFL… and potentially life as the franchise quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders.</p><p>Come April, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-shedeur-sanders-top-qb-mel-kiper-2025-nfl-draft-board">Sanders will likely be the first quarterback off the board</a> and potentially <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/colorado-football-news-deion-sanders-bold-shedeur-sanders-nfl-draft-prediction">the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft</a>, and according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, he has a preference of where <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/43042507/giants-qb-options-next-season-shedeur-sanders-cam-ward-kirk-cousins" rel="noopener">he’ll end up playing</a>.</p><p>“Multiple sources close to Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado program believe his preference would be to land in Las Vegas,” writes Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.</p><p>Right now, the Raiders and New York Giants are the NFL’s only two-win teams, but the Giants would have the tie-break over Las Vegas if it came to it. But assuming the Raiders lose out and the Giants pull off an upset win over the course of the next three weeks against the Falcons, Colts or Eagles, it could pave the way for Sanders to get his wish.</p><p>And hey, let’s just be honest for a second — with a cannon of a right arm and a seemingly endless supply swagger, Shedeur Sanders screams <i>Las Vegas Raiders. </i></p><h2><b>Raiders fans fully on-board with Tanking for Shedeur </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raiders-fans-holding-a-Tank-For-Shedeur-sign.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Raiders didn’t come into the 2024 season with high hopes, in large part because their quarterback situation was so bleak. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-antonio-pierce-aidan-oconnell-gardner-minshew-preseason-battle">Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell engaged in a quarterback competition</a> in the offseason to earn the job, and both have played sparingly throughout the season with very little success. Desmond Ridder has been thrust into duty late in the season, losing this past Monday night in his first start of the year against his former team, the Atlanta Falcons.</p><p>If Sanders ends up in Vegas — or if it’s Cam Ward, for that matter — he would be the first quarterback that the Raiders have selected in the 1st Round since they made Jamarcus Russell the 1st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NFL rumors: Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Draft ‘preference’ will get Raiders fans hyped

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-jon-gruden-why-characters-like-antonio-brown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jon Gruden dishes on why he brought characters like Antonio Brown to Raiders');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raiders-news-Jon-Gruden-dishes-on-why-he-brought-characters-like-Antonio-Brown-to-Raiders.jpg"></figure><h1>Jon Gruden dishes on why he brought characters like Antonio Brown to Raiders</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T12:31:35-08:00">December 19th, 12:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T12:31:35-08:00">December 19th, 12:31pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the Las Vegas <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-raiders-make-maxx-crosby-sincere-mccormick-injured-reserve-decisions">Raiders make injury decisions</a> on key players, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-aidan-oconnell-huge-week-16-injury-update">Aidan O’Connell could return at quarterback</a> for Week 16. Meanwhile, former coach Jon Gruden dished on why he brought characters like Antonio Brown to the Raiders.</p><p>Gruden said he <a href="https://youtu.be/ZaetgpZ4hyE?t=473" rel="noopener">didn’t interact with</a> Brown much, according to Bussin With The Boys.</p><p>“I never got around Antonio enough,” Gruden said of his Raiders days. “You know Antonio showed up on a hot air balloon. He had his feet fried. He had cryotherapy. I had never even heard of cryotherapy and he had an issue with his helmet. (So) he wasn’t happy the NFL wouldn’t let him wear his helmet. We really never got him around the guys very much. So I never really had very much interaction with him at all. Really one of the most frustrating things of my coaching career was not getting him to play for us.</p><p>“I was trying to bring back the old Raiders, the ‘75 – ‘80 Raiders.”</p><h2><b>Former coach Jon Gruden tried to revive old days</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Former-Las-Vegas-Raiders-coach-Jon-Gruden.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Other notables in the Raiders mix included Vontaze Burfict and Richie Incognito. Gruden said he rememeber one funny story about Incognito.</p><p>“Remember the COVID where you can’t have meetings with the players in person?” Gruden said. “So we would have Zoom meetings. So you would see all the players on their little camera, you’d be having an offensive line meetings, and you’d see the 15 offensive linemen. You’d have a team meeting and you could see a lot of the faces. I remember Incognito one time took all his clothes off and was walking around in his garage, he just did things that were so off the wall hilarious to keep everybody laughing, God bless that guy.”</p><p>Burfict also elicted Gruden memories with the Raiders.</p><p>“Then you’ve got Vontaze Burfict (with Brown),” Gruden said. “But the two of those guys they mixed pretty good. They’d kind of laugh with one another. And Richie was kind of like the third part of the party. Those conversations were great.</p><p>“You talk about Bussin with The Boys. You should see some of the boys I bussed with. I always felt this, if you have football character on your team. We had Derek Carr, we had some really good veteran players. Good football character, lets bring in some characters. So we bring in Burfict, you know Burfict really is a great guy and he’s a smart guy, he just knocks the (expletive) out of you and what’s wrong with that.”</p><p>Gruden resigned as Raiders head coach in Oct. of 2021, following reports that emails he wrote over a 10-year period included racist, misogynistic and anti-gay language. He said he resigned for the team, according to espn.com.</p><p>“I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction,” Gruden said in a statement Monday night. “Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jon Gruden dishes on why he brought characters like Antonio Brown to Raiders

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jaguars-vs-raiders-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-nfl-week-16-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jaguars vs. Raiders predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jaguars-vs.-Raiders-predictions-pick-odds-spread-for-NFL-Week-16-2024.jpg"></figure><h1>Jaguars vs. Raiders predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T12:15:07-08:00">December 18th, 12:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T12:15:07-08:00">December 18th, 12:15pm</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re back again for NFL Week 16 as we’re set to bring you our betting predictions and picks for this upcoming tilt between two teams at the bottom of the AFC. The <b>Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11) </b>will take on the <b>Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) </b>as both teams hope to avoid the worst record in the NFL. It is time to continue our NFL odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Jaguars-Raiders prediction and pick.</p><figure><img src="https://a.impactradius-go.com/display-ad/3065-2113640"></figure><figure><img src="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/i/492408/2113640/3065"></figure><h2><b>Jaguars-Raiders Last Game – Matchup History</b></h2><p>The Raiders last faced the Jaguars in Jacksonville during Week 9 2022 in a 27-20 win for the Jaguars. The Raiders led the game at halftime 20-10 after a pair of touchdowns from Derek Carr to Davante Adams, but the Jaguars managed to score 17 unanswered points in the second half to notch the comeback win. Travis Etienne found the end zone twice during that game and totaled 108 yards on the ground. It marked the second-straight win for the Jaguars over the Raiders and we should be in for another exciting and unpredictable meeting during this one.</p><p>Overall Series: Jacksonville Jaguars lead the series 6-4.</p><p><i><b>Here are the Jaguars-Raiders <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nfl" rel="noopener">NFL odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </b></i></p><h2><b>NFL Odds: Jaguars-Raiders Odds</b></h2><p>Jacksonville Jaguars: +1.5 (-115)</p><p>Moneyline: -104</p><p>Las Vegas Raiders: -1.5 (-105)</p><p>Moneyline: -112</p><p>Over: 39.5 (-115)</p><p>Under: 39.5 (-105)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Jaguars vs. Raiders</b></h2><p>Time: 4:25 p.m. ET/ 1:25 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: CBS</p><p><i><b>*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/football/?irad=356362&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2><b>Why The Jaguars Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Jacksonville Jaguars most recently dropped their Week 15 matchup against the New York Jets 32-25. Despite tying the game at 25-25 during the final minutes of the fourth quarter, their defense couldn’t fend off the Jets during their late-game drive to win. The Jags are now just 1-6 over their last seven games and they’re already looking forward towards the offseason. With Las Vegas, Tennessee, and Indianapolis remaining on their schedule, however, they could stand to gain some momentum heading into next season with all three being winnable matchups.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One drive. Two franchise records 🤷‍♂️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DUUUVAL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DUUUVAL</a> <a href="https://t.co/ndX34rE0cX">pic.twitter.com/ndX34rE0cX</a></p><p>— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaguars/status/1868358731576033397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><br>A big positive for the Jaguars last week was quarterback Mac Jones’ willingness to throw the ball and continue to do so following his two interceptions. While it wasn’t a perfect performance, he totaled 294 yards passing, 105 of which went to rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. His constant involvement in the passing game is what gave the Jaguars a chance against the Jets, so expect both him and Travis Etienne to see an expanded role as they try to take some of the pressure off Mac Jones.</p></figure><h2><b>Why The Raiders Could Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Raiders most recently fell to the Atlanta Falcons 15-9 in Week 15, marking their 10th consecutive loss and tying for the second-longest losing streak in franchise history (13, 1962). They’re on their way to earning the first overall pick as they’ll contend with the New York Giants, so it’ll be interesting to see how Coach Antonio Pearce handles these final few games for his team. Quarterback Desmond Ridder is likely to find himself under-center once again, looking to build upon his 208 yards passing with a touchdown. He also threw two interceptions which proved to be costly during the single-score game.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨NEWS: The Las Vegas <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raiders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raiders</a> currently hold the first overall pick in the 2025 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> draft.</p><p>Vegas is currently projected to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.</p><p>SANDERS TO VEGAS.</p><p>👀👀👀</p><p>(📸Draft Network) <a href="https://t.co/5lwX61NF30">pic.twitter.com/5lwX61NF30</a></p><p>— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1868878742774595895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><br>At this point, the Raiders don’t have much to look forward to besides the NFL Draft. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle the Maxx Crosby injury moving forward and whether we’ll see him in a Raiders uniform sometime in the future. Their last draft pick, Brock Bowers, has been the best player on the team all season and recently broke the rookie receiving record for most receptions by a tight end. He should be in line for another big performance against a Jaguars team that’s been allowing tight ends to feast all season.</p></figure><h2><b>Final Jaguars-Raiders Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The last two meetings between these teams have been decided by a touchdown or less and with the betting odds sitting where they are, we should be in for another close game in the AFC. While they’re underdogs on the line, we give the slight edge to the Jaguars due to having more weapons on the offensive side of the ball and an experienced starter in Mac Jones under center.</p><p>While they haven’t put up much of a fight against better teams in the NFL, the Jaguars have managed to score points against bad defenses and we like their chances to get in the end zone more comfortably than the Raiders in this one. Let’s roll with Jacksonville to win this game outright.</p><p><b>Final Jaguars-Raiders Prediction &amp; Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars ML (-104)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jaguars vs. Raiders predictions, pick, odds, spread for NFL Week 16 2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raiders-news-raiders-make-maxx-crosby-sincere-mccormick-injured-reserve-decisions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raiders make expected Maxx Crosby, Sincere McCormick injured reserve decisions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0-Las-Vegas-makes-expected-Maxx-Crosby-Sincere-McCormick-injured-reserve-decisions-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Raiders make expected Maxx Crosby, Sincere McCormick injured reserve decisions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T11:50:34-08:00">December 18th, 11:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T20:00:10-08:00">December 18th, 8:00pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Las Vegas Raiders</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-maxx-crosby-breaks-silence-season-ending-surgery">Las Vegas Raiders’ tumultuous 2024 season took another hit</a> as star defensive end Maxx Crosby and running back Sincere McCormick were officially placed on injured reserve, effectively ending their seasons. The announcement <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1869451431335624742" rel="noopener">comes as no surprise,</a> given the team’s struggles and the injuries sustained by both players.</p><p>Maxx Crosby, the heart of the Raiders’ defense, suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that he managed to play through for much of the season. However, an aggravation of the injury in Week 14 forced the team to shut him down. Crosby <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DDk_gkTyn3H/?hl=en" rel="noopener">shared his disappointment</a> on Instagram, writing, “As much as it pains me to not go to war with my brothers and for the fans, I truly believe everything happens for a reason. This bounce back will be iconic.”</p><p>Crosby’s production, while still impactful, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raiders-news-maxx-crosby-heartfelt-message-amid-season-ending-injury">reflected the challenges he faced playing through the injury.</a> He tallied 7.5 sacks, 45 tackles, and 17 tackles for loss in 12 games, a notable drop from his stellar 2023 campaign, where he posted 14.5 sacks. His absence leaves a significant void in the Raiders’ defense, which has struggled throughout the year.</p><h2><b>The Raiders are looking for depth as their star DE will be out the rest of the season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Maxx-Crosby.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Sincere McCormick, the team’s promising running back, also landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Despite limited opportunities, McCormick showed flashes of potential, averaging 4.7 yards per carry over five games and recording a season-high 78 rushing yards in Week 14. With his season now over, McCormick will focus on recovery and preparing for 2025.</p><p>The Raiders’ roster has been plagued by setbacks all season, with injuries and coaching changes contributing to their dismal 2-12 record. Head coach Antonio Pierce, who was retained despite early-season turmoil, is likely on the hot seat as the team considers securing the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.</p><p>To address the vacancies left by Crosby and McCormick, the Raiders <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/raiders-place-maxx-crosby-sincere-mccormick-on-ir" rel="noopener">made several roster moves</a>. Defensive end Andre Carter was signed from the Vikings’ practice squad, and running back Chris Collier was promoted to the active roster. Additionally, Ovie Oghoufo and Isaiah Spiller were added to the practice squad to bolster depth.</p><p>While the Raiders’ hopes for this season are all but extinguished, the organization is looking ahead. With Crosby vowing to return stronger and McCormick showing growth potential, the focus now shifts to rebuilding for the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dylan
Laube

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Dylan
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