As Monday Night Football approaches, can the Las Vegas Raiders avoid a disastrous 1-4 start in Year 2 of Josh McDaniels’ reign? Let’s face it, the Silver and Black would be in a sad state of affairs if that happened.
Monday nights used to be home to the wrestling war. That battle between WWF/WWE and WCW resulted in the birth of the fabled Attitude Era in pro wrestling.
For the Raiders, Monday Night Football affairs — historically — portend good things. The Silver and Black have played in 75 MNF tilts and hold a 43-31-1 overall record during those primetime matchups. The last 10 clashes under the lights have netted the squad a .500 mark, however. Check it out:
Raiders last 10 MNF Games (5-5)
- Oct. 10, 2022: 30-20 loss to Chiefs
- Sept. 13, 2021: 33-27 OT win over Ravens
- Oct. 4, 2021: 28-14 loss to Chargers
- Sept. 21, 2020: 34-24 win over Saints
- Sept. 9, 2019: 24-16 win over Broncos
- Sept. 10, 2018: 33-13 loss to Rams
- Dec. 24, 2019: 27-14 win over Broncos
- Dec. 25, 2018: 19-10 loss to Eagles
- Nov. 21, 2016: 27-20 win over Texans
- Sept. 23, 2013: 37-21 loss to Broncos
All in all, 5-5 over that time span from 2013 to last season is a surprising mark, considering the Raiders teams that littered that landscape, from listless to competitive. This season’s incarnation of the Raiders is the antithesis of the Attitude Era of pro wrestling. At 1-3 overall, the group led by Josh McDaniels is Sad-itude Era-esque. Despite being in Year 2 of the McDaniels and Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas general manager) era, the team is disjointed and tripping over its own feet like a fledgling expansion team rather than a storied NFL franchise.
Despite having elite talent in running back Josh Jacobs, wide receiver Davante Adams, edge rusher Maxx Crosby, kicker Daniel Carlson, and punter A.J. Cole III, we’ve been watching the remedial Raiders in the first four games. There are fleeting flashes of brilliance that’s far overshadowed by irresponsible idiocracy.
Who should we blame?
Finger point all you want: owner, coaches, or players, but the collective blame is pinned on the organization as a whole. Coaching is an issue, as is player execution. And despite Jacobs and Adams saying the players need to step up, the coaches need to be equally held accountable.
#Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
“I’m tired of losing, just keep it 100, I’m tired of f*cking losing”
“5-6 plays you do them right, difference in the outcome of the game, but at the same time, you’re tired of saying 5-6 plays…it’s just time to do that Sh*t” pic.twitter.com/tSrTuu57uY
— Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) October 2, 2023
No one is absolved of the sad state of the Raiders. And to provide the team with any absolution is an exercise in dumb*ssery—something McDaniels is apt to do.
Can that change?
Of course, it can. Winning is a cure-all for even the most disjointed franchises—Raiders included. Can McDaniels’ Marauders win?
The group will need to play complementary (yes, it’s spelled that way and not with an ‘i’, folks) football. All three phases of the game work to help each other out with the intent to win. The Raiders have patented complementary losing football, so now’s the time to turn the tables on that dubious distinction.
Both coaches and players keep saying they’ve had hard lessons during the first quarter of the season, and in four games, they’ve learned. But thus far, the same asinine mistakes have riddled the team. And you can only keep saying something with the same repulsive result before it becomes grade-A malarkey (bullshit, for those seeking a rudimentary version of the word that the low-IQ Raiders could comprehend).
Let’s make an apt comparison here with the Raggamuffin Raiders. Seventh-overall pick Tyree Wilson is a hot topic of conversation when it comes to the team, both from supporters and detractors. Even the staunches of stans and critics can’t argue Wilson’s start has been amiss. He’s slow off the snap and hasn’t acclimated fully to NFL game speed. This isn’t surprising considering he was a super raw but immensely talented prospect. Ziegler and the team thought it had the luxury of allowing Wilson to develop at a steady pace. Then the Chandler Jones’ thing happens, and Wilson is thrust into playing time.
The Raiders, Tyree Wilson, and what might’ve been…
Wilson’s career development is a line-step for the Raiders start thus far: Slow, winded, with hopes of improvement. I say hope loosely, as it’s really sheer desperation. Wilson is showing signs of turning the corner, however. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound 23-year-old may be on the precipice of realizing his power and length make him quite the nightmare to block. He’s picking up the pace at the snap and exploding towards offensive linemen. The more he realizes his strength and uses his go-go gadget arms to keep offensive tackles at bay, the more disruptive he’ll become. But that realization—when does it arrive?
Monday night would be an opportune time.
The same can be said about the team as a whole. When will they realize their worst enemy is themselves and actually put it together to play sound complementary football?
Again, MNF is apt.
Here’s the upside—and it’s going to sound pathetic, but considering the state of the team, another haphazard performance adds to the mounting evidence that McDaniels just ain’t it. And another defeat may mean Raiders owner Mark Davis may need to “smarten up” himself.
Mark Davis yelling at fans to “smarten up” after being told by fans to fire Josh Mcdaniels #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/Bkr1uJBx21
— Raider (@RaiderCanelo) October 3, 2023
A ridiculous Raiders’ streak can either end or extend…
Sept. 13, 1987. That’s the last time the Raiders toppled the Packers. It was the Los Angeles variant of the Silver and Black, blanking Green Bay 20-0. And I was five years old.
Since the ’87 win, the Pack Attack have won eight straight with the closest matchup—in terms of final score—a 28-24 win by Green Bay on Sept. 12, 1999. The all-time series tilts in the Packers’ favor at 9-5 (8-5 in regular season play, 1-0 in postseason action), and heading into tonight’s action, the weary Wisconsin Men have the opportunity to extend that streak in the home of the Las Vegas variant of the Raiders.
Tonight’s clash has the right potential for both teams. Green Bay (2-2) eyes a rebound from a 34-20 NFC North loss to the Detroit Lions. Las Vegas (1-3) seeks to end a three-game skid, the most recent defeat being a 24-17 AFC West loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s not just the overall record; the division ramifications for both squads run deep, too. The Lions won in convincing fashion Sunday and are tops in the NFC North at 4-1, so the Packers must win to keep pace. In the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped the Minnesota Vikings to improve to 4-1. The Raiders can’t fall any further, as trying to climb up the division standings can prove extremely difficult.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
