Tag: Las Vegas Raiders

Chiefs officially sign Pro Bowl OL ahead of Week 13 matchup vs. Raiders

The Kansas City #Chiefs signed a former Pro Bowl offensive lineman ahead of their Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas #Raiders.

Hopefully, Patrick Mahomes is about to get a break from taking hits thanks to the news that the Kansas City Chiefs officially signed veteran Pro Bowl offensive tackle D.J. Humphries on Tuesday.

Humphries was a first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL draft and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2021. He has been off the field this season while recovering from an ACL injury sustained in Week 17 of the Cardinals’ 2023 campaign.

Humphries is now medically cleared to play again, and the Chiefs’ official Twitter account shared the news that he had officially signed with Kansas City this afternoon.

The Chiefs’ offensive line has struggled at the left tackle position through Kansas City’s first 11 games, and the team’s addition of Humphries should bolster the depth of its front five.

Though it is unclear whether Humphries will play in the Chiefs’ Week 13 matchup against Las Vegas on Black Friday, fans can expect to see him in action at some point before the end of the regular season.

Chiefs players didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about narrow win vs. Panthers

#Chiefs players didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about Kansas City’s Week 12 win over the Carolina #Panthers.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ locker room celebration wasn’t particularly rousing after their narrow victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 12.

Local media traveled with the Chiefs to cover the game, and they got some interviews with players after the win that revealed the muted discontent about Kansas City’s three-point victory over the lowly Panthers.

The overall message from Chiefs players was that winning is always ideal, but that the team has multiple areas to improve in the coming weeks, and everyone feels that they need to play better.

Reporter Harold R. Kuntz of WDAF FOX 4 shared this footage of multiple player interviews from the Bank of America Stadium locker room on his Twitter account.

Listen to what they had to say after the game:

While Kansas City remains the dominant franchise in the AFC as the regular season approaches its final weeks, now is not the moment for the Chiefs to rest on their laurels and cheer for their wins.

Hopefully, the focused mood in the locker room Sunday night translates into a fiery performance when Kansas City takes on the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 on Black Friday.

Chiefs sign familiar face to replace injured kicker in Week 13

On Tuesday, the #Chiefs signed a veteran kicker who was part of Kansas City’s run to Super Bowl LVII in 2022.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ special teams unit has been decimated by injuries over the past few weeks.

With replacement kicker Spencer Shrader set to be sidelined for the defending Super Bowl champions’ Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, general manager Brett Veach needed to call a familiar face to fill out his roster.

On Tuesday, the Chiefs announced that they had signed veteran kicker Matthew Wright, who some fans may recognize from his two stints in Kansas City back in 2022.

Wright is exceptionally well-traveled, having played in stints with no less than nine teams between the NFL and XFL as a professional.

Though the Chiefs would certainly prefer to have Harrison Butker available for their tilt against Las Vegas on Friday, Kansas City’s coaching staff is sure to be pleased that Veach could find a replacement kicker with so much experience.

Stay tuned to see if Wright can make a positive difference for the Chiefs in Week 13.

Chiefs cut former third-round pick ahead of matchup vs. Raiders

The #Chiefs cut an offensive lineman who was selected by Kansas City in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a series of roster moves on Tuesday as they prepared for their Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

One of the team’s most notable transactions involved the Chiefs’ third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, offensive tackle Lucas Niang, who had his practice squad contract terminated.

Niang has won two Super Bowls in Kansas City, but never grew into a significant role in Andy Reid’s offense. He was waived by the Chiefs earlier this year before re-joining the team as a member of its practice squad.

Take a look at all of Kansas City’s roster moves below:

Though this move won’t affect the Chiefs’ active roster heading into their matchup against the Raiders on Friday, Niang’s release signals the end of the former TCU Horned Frog’s tenure in Kansas City.

Stay tuned to see if Niang catches on with another team before the end of the regular season.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 12 loss to Broncos

Collecting the individual performances both good and bad for the Raiders in their week 13 game against the Denver Broncos.

The streak hit seven games last week. That’s seven straight losses for the Raiders. Two of those losses were at the hands of the Broncos, which means after four seasons of Raiders sweeps over their Denver rivals, the tables have officially turned.

This time they made a game of it, leading into the third quarter, before ultimately things reverted to the new normal.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby, DE Tyree Wilson

Crosby put up three tackles for loss which put him over 100 for his career which has him joining some Hall of Fame level NFL greats. While Wilson had easily the best game of his career.

Wilson got pressure that led to a run stuff for one yard and the Broncos first drive ended one play later with a punt.

Late in the first quarter, the Broncos drove into scoring range, but on third down, Crosby got the tackle to jump early and then on third and longer showed why the tackle jumped by getting pressure to force an incompletion. They settled for a field goal.

The next Broncos drive again moved into scoring range, and Crosby and Wilson stopped it. With Denver in first down at the 26, Crosby got his first tackle for loss and then on third down, Wilson came right up the gut on a stunt for an 11-yard loss on a sack. It made the Broncos convert a 53-yard field goal and preserved the Raiders’ lead at 7-6.

Late in the second quarter, the Broncos drove into scoring range again. In first down at the 32, Wilson shot into the backfield to make an open field tackle for a five-yard loss. And they again had to settle for a long field goal while preserving a 10-9 Raiders lead.

The games first interception gave the Broncos the ball at the Vegas 18. And on first down, Wilson made the stop for no gain. They would still get the touchdown on the next play to take a 16-13 lead.

Crosby and Wilson would keep it a three-point game with Crosby making the tackle on a two-yard catch and he and Wilson getting pressure on third down to force an incompletion.

Early in the third quarter, with the Broncos in scoring range again, Crosby put up consecutive tackles for loss to force another Broncos field goal and keep it at a one score game. Wilson would add a tackle for loss late in the game, but by then it was too late and the Broncos added a field goal to put the game away.

P AJ Cole

Weapon. Cole was pinning the Broncos back all day. And a bit more. His first punt was a pooch punt that was fair caught at the 11-yard line. He second punt was from his own end zone and he launched it 60 yards with no return as he bounced out of bounds.

His next play was not with his leg, but his arm. The Raiders caught the Broncos by surprise. Cole sold it well, catching the snap and spinning it like he was going to punt it, but instead pulling it back and lofting a pass for Divine Deablo who made the easy catch and took it 34 yards to the Denver 30. They got a field goal out of it to make it a 10-6 game.

With the lead lost in the third quarter, Cole had another beauty of a punt that DJ Turner collected at the one-yard line. Four punts. Three with no return, two inside the 20, one downed at the one, and one with a net 60 yards. And the pass off the fake. Have yourself a game, AJ.

WR Jakobi Meyers

Two games ago, Meyers had his first ever 100-yard receiving game with the Raiders. Now he has two. And outdid the last one. Jakobi finished with 121 yards on ten catches.

Late in the second quarter, he made a tough catch while simultaneously being nailed in the back by a defender. It went for 18 yards to put them in field goal range to take a 13-9 lead at the half.

He drew a pass interference penalty on third down to lead out the fourth quarter that put the team in field goal range so they could cut the Broncos lead to 19-16. The next drive he had four catches for 42 yards to keep it a one-score game and give the Raiders a chance late. It was the strip sack on the next drive that killed their chance.

RB Ameer Abdulla

He scored the Raiders’ only touchdown of the game. He also had 65 yards on 13 touches

Honorable Mention

RB Dylan Laube — His 59-yard kick return set up the Raiders’ only TD of the day. And it gave him a much better last memory than having fumbled his only offensive carry of the season.

LB Divine Deablo — Make the 34-yard catch off the fake punt and added five tackles on defense.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 12 loss to Broncos

Those whose performances were most responsible for the Raiders failing to pull out the win over the Broncos.

We move on to the performances that most led to the Raiders losing to the Broncos on Sunday.

Busters

CB DeCamerion Richardson

It seemed whenever the Broncos needed a big play, they looked to whoever Richardson was guarding. Their second score of the game was set up when Richardson gave up a 24-yard catch. Their third score was thanks for Richardson not playing the ball and being called for a pass interference.

The fourth quarter was led out by another Broncos field goal that was made possible when Richardson gave up an 18-yard catch on third and ten. The next drive, Richardson gave up the touchdown catch to make it a 26-16 game. The Raiders couldn’t catch up after that.

QB Gardner Minshew

Minshew had some nice throws in this game. But in the end, the bad plays far outweighed the good.

He fumbled the first snap of the game, with was not a good sign. That first drive would end with him throwing off target for Brock Bowers on third and three. That was followed by a three-and-out on their second possession.

Three straight scoring drives in the second quarter made things very interesting. And had it continued, Minshew would surely have been a Baller for this one. But as often happens, come the third, the good feeling disipated.

Four possessions in the third for the Raiders went like this — three-and-out with a batted pass at the line on third down, Minshew running into a sack and then getting picked off leading to a Broncos TD, a five-play possession ending with Minshew throwing incomplete for a well covered Brock Bowers, and a three-and-out ending on a low pass into the turf.

It was a six-point Bronocs lead by the time the Raiders got the ball in the fourth quarter. They would score two more times, but couldn’t get more than a field goal, which wasn’t enough. Then Minshew was tackled on a roll out, breaking his collarbone and was lost for the season. Just to be clear, I am not blaming him for breaking his collarbone. Just detailing that it happened.

LT Kolton Miller, RT DJ Glaze

A holding penalty on Glaze stalled the Raiders second scoring drive after driving to the 11-yard line.

The Raiders still carried a 13-9 lead into the third quarter. But on their second possession, both Miller and Glaze gave up pressure from each side that caused Minshew’s pass to sail and get intercepted. The Broncos got the ball at the Vegas 18-yard line and scored the TD two plays later to take a 16-13 lead.

Late in the game, with it still a one-score game at 26-19, the Raiders got the ball. Minshew was knocked out of the game and two plays after Desmond Ridder came in, Miller gave up a strip sack, the Broncos recovered, and added a field goal to put the game away.

See the Ballers

Bo Nix had another great quote after Broncos beat the Raiders

“We never lost the faith on the sideline,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said of the team’s comeback win against the Raiders.

Following the Denver Broncos 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon, rookie quarterback Bo Nix delivered another classic quote on the team’s resilience.

The Broncos trailed for the entire second quarter and went into halftime down 13-9. The tide turned in the third quarter when safety Brandon Jones grabbed an interception, setting up a go-ahead touchdown for Denver. The Broncos then took a 16-13 lead, and they never looked back from there.

“It’s huge,” Nix said of the team’s resilience. “I never felt on the sideline like we were down or that we were out of it. Again, we were moving the ball. We just had to get field goals. Wasn’t anything we needed to change besides get in the fringe, red zone area, converting a little bit more.

“Our defense played really well again from start to finish. They were put on the field a lot at the end of the game, had to make some key stops. They did. So it was a complete team win. Very resilient from our guys. But just never lost that edge. We never lost the faith on the sideline. Always kind of figured we were going to find a way to win. That’s what marks a good team.”

Nix finished the game 25-of-42 passing for 273 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in an eventual 29-19 win. Nix’s on-field performance has been excellent and he continues to say all the right things off the field. Denver has finally found its franchise quarterback.

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Raiders’ 2025 NFL draft position improves following Week 12 results

Where would the Raiders be picking in the 2025 NFL draft if the season ended today? After Week 12’s results, it’s good news for Las Vegas.

While the Raiders‘ 29-19 Sunday loss versus the Denver Broncos sank Las Vegas to now seven consecutive defeats, the week itself also saw the Raiders improve their 2025 NFL draft positioning.

Thanks to a win by the Cleveland Browns, the Raiders saw their 2025 NFL draft projections improve. The Browns toppled the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-19, in a shocker on Thursday night in the snow.

Las Vegas got good news elsewhere, too. The Tennessee Titans downed the AFC South-leading Houston Texans, 32-27. The Browns and Titans each improved to 3-8 on the season.

In another surprise, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders, 34-26.

All of the stars didn’t perfectly align, though. Carolina nearly rallied to beat Kansas City, but the Panthers fell 30-27 on Spencer Schrader’s 31-yard field goal as time expired.

Among other teams toward the top of the projected draft boards, the New York Giants were rocked by Tampa Bay, 31-7, and New England fell at Miami, 34-15.

Still, it was a productive week for Raider fans all aboard Team Tank. Las Vegas climbed one spot from No. 4 in the projected draft order to No. 3.

Here’s a look at the updated top 10 in the current 2025 NFL draft order.

Current 2025 NFL draft order:

  • No. 1 pick: Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
  • No. 2 pick: New York Giants (2-9)
  • No. 3 pick: Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)
  • No. 4 pick: New England (3-9)
  • No. 5 pick: Carolina (3-8)
  • No. 6 pick: Tennessee (3-8)
  • No. 7 pick: New York Jets (3-8)
  • No. 8 pick: Cleveland Browns (3-8)
  • No. 9 pick: New Orleans (4-7)
  • No. 10 pick: Cincinnati (4-7)

As the season heads into Week 13, the Raiders are well positioned toward the top of the 2025 NFL draft board and seem destined to wind up with one of the top selections.

Las Vegas closes with games against Kansas City this coming Friday, at Tampa Bay on Dec. 8, versus Atlanta on Dec. 16, versus Jacksonville on Dec. 22, at New Orleans on Dec. 29 and versus the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 5.

Las Vegas’ Dec. 22 contest against Jacksonville seemingly looms large on how the top of the draft board will ultimately shake out.

Jacksonville closes with games against Houston, at Tennessee, versus the New York Jets, at Las Vegas, versus Tennessee and at Indianapolis.

The New York Giants close with games at Dallas, versus New Orleans, versus Baltimore, at Atlanta, versus Indianapolis and at Philadelphia.

Vikings remain among favorites to land free agent QB Daniel Jones

With Daniel Jones officially clearing waivers and free to sign with any team, the Minnesota Vikings are among the favorites to sign the QB.

Last week, the New York Giants made the somewhat surprising decision on Sunday to waive former starting quarterback Daniel Jones. The team had previously demoted him to third-string quarterback, and the two sides came to an agreement to part ways.

Now, a couple of days later, Jones has cleared waivers, and speculation about his next team has kicked into high gear.

In an appearance on NFL Gameday Monday morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport mentioned four teams as “front-runners” in the Daniel Jones sweepstakes, and the Minnesota Vikings were among those four teams.

In speaking on the Jones situation, Rapoport explained that no team was going to claim Jones of waivers due to the money Jones would be owed on his contract if any team were to claim him. Now that he’s cleared waivers, though, he’s free to sign with any team he chooses — likely for a veteran minimum contract ,according to Rapoport.

Rapoport then mentioned the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and Baltimore Ravens as teams that could be in play for Jones’ services. The 49ers may be the most likely choice, depending on how starting quarterback Brock Purdy continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

Rapoport also mentioned the Las Vegas Raiders as a potential suitor for Jones. Las Vegas recently had their starting quarterback, Gardner Minshew, go down for the season, which could potential mean a starting spot for Jones. However, Jones is reportedly seeking a team in the playoff hunt, which would seemingly eliminate the Raiders from contention.

If Jones were to sign with the Vikings, or with any other team for that matter, Rapoport mentions he would not be surprised if Jones does so on a practice squad to start, which would keep his options open should another starting quarterback go down with an injury elsewhere.

Chiefs OL celebrated 26th birthday after win vs. Panthers

A #Chiefs offensive lineman celebrated his 26th birthday this week after Kansas City’s Week 12 win over the Carolina #Panthers.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor celebrated his 26th birthday today after the defending Super Bowl champions’ 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Taylor played at the University of Florida for two seasons before being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The former Gator played three seasons with the Jaguars before joining the Chiefs in 2023. He was a key part of Kansas City’s offensive line in Super Bowl LVIII and is under contract with the Chiefs through 2026.

Taylor’s time in Kansas City has had its ups and downs, largely due to his struggles with penalties, but it seems the embattled lineman is heading in the right direction this season.

 

Expect Taylor to do his best to help clear a path for the Chiefs’ running game and keep Patrick Mahomes upright when Kansas City faces the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on Black Friday in Week 13.