The Las Vegas Raiders went to a meaningless game, hoping to finish at 8-8 and not have a losing season. They achieved that heartbreakingly with a win over the Denver Broncos 32-31 on a last-minute play. This was Gruden’s first win in Denver during his coaching career, and it was not easy, to say the least.
The offense moved the ball at will averaging 7.2 yards per play but committed four turnovers on the day. They kept the Broncos in the game with a disastrous third quarter where their offense had three straight drives with a turnover. Even with all of that, the offense was still able to produce 32 points and come through on the final drive. The 26 turnovers the Raiders committed this year were glaring, but they came out of this with a win.
The defense played well for three and half quarters and actually held on while the offense tried its hardest to give the game away. After the Raiders tied the game in the fourth, they gave up a 92-yard touchdown by Jerry Jeudy, allowing the Broncos to take the lead. The pressure was missing from this game as Drew Lock had all day to throw, but the Run defense came to play for most of the game. They almost let the game away like the previous week but found a way to pull it out in the end.
Who are the Winners and Losers from Week 17? Let us check it out:
Winner: TE Darren Waller
Once again, Darren Waller makes the winner list as he solidified himself as an elite tight end with his ending to the season. It was a special day for Waller as he broke the Raider’s reception record held by Tim Brown and finished with this third straight 100-yard game.
Waller finished with 9 receptions on 10 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. The main element he has added to his performance lately is him becoming more of a deep threat. Fans saw that on display when Waller scored on a deep pass from Derek Car early in the second quarter. Waller improved route running, and contested-catch ability have him on the verge of dominance that all fans should be excited about.
Waller will probably be the Raiders’ best receiving target for the foreseeable future. People want the Raiders’ offense to feature wide receivers, but when you have a pass-catcher like Waller, how do you not target him? He needs to be force-fed, and this year, he showed exactly why every single game.
Winner: RB Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs has not had the greatest season averaging 3.8 yards per carry after hitting 4.8 the year before. He needed to go out with a good performance to display what the Raiders can build on next year. He stepped up to the challenge with his best performance since Week 10 against the same Broncos defense.
He started the game struggling with only 14 yards are his first 7 carries. He then went off for 75 yards on his next 8 carries with two touchdowns to end the game. After the offense was struggling in the third quarter, Jacobs sparked the offense to win the game.
The Raiders are a run-first team, and the running game has been lackluster for most of the season. In the fourth quarter, we saw the Raiders’ offense that fans have been waiting for and Jon Gruden as well. A balanced attack that can beat you in multiple ways.
Winner: LB Cory Littleton
Cory Littleton has been struggling for most of this season after returning to back to back seasons where he played stout for the Rams. The Raiders were expecting that play, but instead, Littleton has missed tackles and not played well in coverage. This week we saw the Littleton we wanted to see since the season started.
Littleton has played better the past few weeks and displayed his ability as a linebacker. He was stout in coverage against the Broncos, helping keep their offense from reaching first down on third and shorts. He finished the game with six tackles and didn’t miss one on the day.
He can be a good player for the Raiders if they pick the right defensive coordinator. It will be seen what direction they go, but Littleton has a chance to piece this defense for the next few seasons.
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