Silver And Black Pride
The Las Vegas Raiders are earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.
The Raiders took a major step to securing the top pick as they were completely hammered 34-10 by the equally lowly New York Giants on Sunday. The Raiders, according to ESPN, now have an 80 percent chance of getting the No.1 overall pick for the first time in 19 years. The Raiders, 2-14 and losers of 10 straight games, will pick first if they lose to the 6-10 (and preseason looking) Kansas City Chiefs at home next week. Even if the Raiders win, they still have a chance to get the top pick. According to The Associated Press, the Raiders will not pick lower than No. 3.
But, let’s face it; the Raiders do not look capable of winning against any opponent and they showed that against the Giants, who also came into the game with a 2-13 record and on a nine-game losing streak like the Raiders did.
Yes, the Raiders made headlines by shutting down Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers and Jeremy Chinn. But make no mistake, this game had nothing to do with tanking. The Raiders lost because are are awful in every aspect of the game.
They have now been beaten by double digits 10 times this season and have lost by, at least, 24 points four times. Losing that badly to the Gants, who were also tanking, is embarrassing regardless of it was beneficial in the long run.
There is no reason for Pete Carroll to stick around after next week. Carroll called he game a “mess.”
He should be used to it. His entire tenure has been messy and it needs to end.
Here are some key aspects of the game:
Crosby talk:
Carroll confirmed that Crosby was not at the game Sunday, a day after he was shelved for the season. Carroll, however, did say he expects Crosby to be at the Raiders’ facility Monday. Fox reported Crosby is not happy about being shut down and NFL Media reported it will cause him to evaluate his future with the team in the offseason.
Geno may be done as a Raider:
We may have seen the last of Geno Smith as the Raiders’ quarterback. He left the game in the fourth quarter and Carroll said after the game he has a high-ankle sprain. Thus, it’s likely Kenny Pickett will play against the Chiefs. There’s a strong chance the Raiders cut Smith in the offseason. If so, it was fitting his final play as a Raider was an interception, his league leading 17th. Onto Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, right?
Jeanty mostly quiet on ground:
Raiders’ rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had 60 yards on 16 carries, but 24 of those yards came on a garbage-time run. After having 128 yards rushing last week at Houston, Jeanty was bottled up for the most part Sunday.
Mayer shows up:
Playing for the Bowers, Raiders’ tight end Michael Mayer had a career high...
