The game was over, and the Los Angeles Lakers had won their first NBA Championship in decades. It was a moment that many fans would never forget.
The up to the minute raiders news is a blog dedicated to the Oakland Raiders.
The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off the 2021 NFL season with a thrilling, well-played game. Week 1 ended with an overtime slugfest between Jon Gruden’s Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens that was as intriguing, if not as sharp.
The Raiders came out on top in the end, despite all of the drama. The club is currently tied for first place in the AFC West with a 1-0 record. The game, on the other hand, demonstrated how Gruden’s Las Vegas franchise may be better off if the season goes south and the team resets for next season.
In a Monday Night Football match versus the Ravens, the Raiders debuted their new Las Vegas stadium to the public for the first time. The Raiders, like other Vegas attractions, did not disappoint in terms of entertainment.
Baltimore raced up to a 14-0 lead right away. However, Derek Carr and his teammates rallied to tie the game at 14, 17, 24, and 27 as normal time ended.
On offense, tight end Darren Waller shone, collecting ten of his 19 targets for 105 yards and a score. Maxx Crosby, a pass rusher, tormented veteran tackle Alejandro Villanueva on defense. With six tackles, five quarterback hits, and two sacks, he tormented Lamar Jackson.
Carr engineered an amazing drive with no timeouts to bring the team in position for the game-tying field goal after the Ravens took the lead on a Justin Tucker field goal with 37 seconds remaining.
Carr led the squad down the field once again in overtime. When wide receiver Bryan Edwards dived into the endzone, the squad believed it had won the game. However, his knee was down before the goal line, according to the replay. The field was cleared by the officials, but the Raiders were unable to score from the 1-yard line. They were pushed back due to a poor false start. Carr then threw a deflected interception.
The Ravens were given another chance, but Raiders DE Carl Nassib strip-sacked Jackson to hand the ball back to Las Vegas.
One play later, Gruden signaled for a field goal, but the team inexplicably earned a delay of game penalty to move kicker Daniel Carlson out of field goal range.
Carr returned to the field and fired a 31-yard rainbow to a wide-open Zay Jones, who strolled into the endzone for the dramatic victory.
After the game, Jon Gruden was relieved.
“I felt as if I had died, woken up, and then died again. I had many lives tonight, much like a cat.”
Jon Gruden on the Raiders-Ravens game’s bizarre conclusion pic.twitter.com/6SOO207S1s
September 14, 2021 — CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ)
Jon Gruden took to the stage after the chaotic ending and expressed his thoughts on the event. Despite how it all went down, he was delighted to get the victory and even used late Raiders owner Al Davis’ famed line, “Just win, baby.”
When asked how he felt after the game’s seesaw finish, Gruden put it up perfectly Jon Gruden-style, saying:
I felt as if I had died, woken up, and then died again. I had many lives tonight, much like a cat. That’s not how I prefer to play. It was difficult, but we put forth a lot of effort to win the football game tonight.
The Raiders beat the Ravens in overtime, according to Jon Gruden.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-0 in the AFC West standings in 2021, regardless of how they got here. Gruden will accept it, but it may not be the greatest long-term outcome for the organization.
The Raiders aren’t in the same league as the Chiefs right now, as anybody who saw the Chiefs come back and destroy the Cleveland Browns’ spirit on Sunday will attest. Furthermore, Teddy Bridgewater led the Denver Broncos to win, while Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is improving by the game.
Despite being in a four-way tie for first place in the division, the Raiders aren’t quite as good as the other three Western clubs.
The Raiders nearly had a historic collapse last night, which would have been disastrous for their season but exactly what they needed in the long term.
Because Gruden isn’t going away, others must.
Jon Gruden | Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Chris Unger
Jon Gruden is in the fourth year of a ten-year, $100 million deal. With $60 million remaining on his contract, owner Mark Davis is unlikely to fire the coach anytime soon.
That implies that further adjustments are required to shake up the organization. This means the Raiders will have to part ways with two key players: general manager Mike Mayock and quarterback Derek Carr.
Mayock’s draft mistakes have been widely discussed throughout his time with the club. The former TV personality has had high draft selections removed or traded within a season of being drafted, as well as making some bizarre top decisions.
In the past three drafts, four of Mayock’s first-round selections have failed to meet expectations (Clelin Ferrell, Johnathan Abram, Damon Arnette, Henry Ruggs), one has succeeded (Josh Jacobs), and the verdict is still out on this year’s top pick (Alex Leatherwood).
When this previous selection was made, it was a huge gamble, and although Leatherwood is starting for the Silver and Black, he has a history of severe penalties. This includes a late-game goal on the goal line that almost lost the squad the game.
To help develop the squad, Gruden has to get rid of the former analyst and get a GM with a track record.
A new quarterback should be part of that team-building process.
Carr is a mediocre NFL quarterback at best. Even if he is a dedicated Raider, it is no longer enough to compensate for his inadequacies on the field.
The former Fresno State quarterback isn’t a “terrible” quarterback by any means. He’s in good shape. In most statistical categories, Carr is in the top half of the NFL, but when it comes to winning football games, the quarterback has a career record of 48-63.
Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Josh Allen were the last four quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs last season. Unless they have a great defense or running game, teams in the contemporary NFL need a dynamic quarterback to win.
The Raiders don’t have any of these three characteristics, thus Carr’s replacement (Aaron Rodgers in 2022?) may be crucial in getting the club to the next level.
The Raiders’ season may have been ruined by a total collapse defeat on Monday night. But it might have been exactly what they needed to go ahead and give Gruden a chance to succeed in the second part of his big deal.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
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I Felt Like I Died and Woke up… and Died Again is a short story written by an author who goes by the name of deuce gruden. The story is about how the main character’s life changed drastically after one night out drinking with friends.
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