LAS VEGAS — As some Las Vegas Raiders fans mourned the possible loss of the No. 1 draft pick, team owner Mark Davis went from locker to locker congratulating players after Sunday’s 19-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Decked out in his signature white team jacket and white jeans, Davis was smiling from ear to ear as he shook players’ hands.
The team’s 10-game losing streak was over. Happy holidays indeed.
“Whenever you see that all white, it’s a good thing going on,” Raiders defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson said.
As some players danced to the music playing in the background, Davis was clapping and talking excitedly to his charges. After dapping up safety Tre’von Moehrig, Davis made his exit with a final message to the squad.
“Way to fight!” Davis yelled.
While the owner celebrated, many quarterback-thirsty Raiders fans were frustrated with the victory over the Jaguars. That’s because the win dropped the Raiders (3-12) from the No. 2 position in the 2025 NFL Draft to No. 6. That puts them behind three other quarterback-needy teams: the New York Giants (2-13) at No. 1, the Tennessee Titans (3-12) at No. 4 and the Cleveland Browns (3-12) at No. 5.
Updated NFL Draft order (NYG clear favorites for No. 1 pick)
1. Giants (2-13)
2. Patriots (3-12)
3. Jaguars (3-12)
4. Titans (3-12)
5. Browns (3-12)
6. Raiders (3-12)
7. Panthers (4-11)
8. Jets (4-11)
9. Bears (4-11)— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 23, 2024
Davis doesn’t care. He never wants to see the Raiders lose, even if it’ll land them a better draft pick. It’s a reminder that sports franchises rarely intentionally tank, no matter how dire their situation appears. Davis and the players had been miserable for three months.
“I forgot what it felt like,” receiver Jakobi Meyers said about Sunday’s win. “That was a good time.”
The Raiders defense led the way early Sunday until a blown coverage led to a 62-yard Brian Thomas Jr. touchdown and a 14-13 Jaguars lead with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Raiders offense responded, with backup running back Ameer Abdullah picking up 36 yards on two catches and two runs on the next drive. His 7-yard pinball touchdown run was the difference in the game.
🎱 marches it in!#JAXvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Z3zpO82bTs
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 23, 2024
Davis was going to enjoy the night and Victory Monday as much as the players.
“It’s great to see,” left tackle and captain Kolton Miller said. “It speaks to the owner backing us and the belief that we have in the team and coaching staff playing for one another. We’re still fighting no matter the record or losing streak. It was great to see the smile on his face, and it means a lot to the players.”
“(Davis) is committed, man,” Abdullah added. “He is a Raider. His dad’s best friend was the logo, and Mark bleeds Silver and Black. I am glad we can finally share a win with him.”
The effort by the players despite having lost 10 straight games says it all. They desperately wanted a win. Although the outcomes continued to go against them and their chances of making the playoffs evaporated long ago, their effort never waned. That’s why Sunday’s victory brought so much excitement, record be damned.
“I mean — finally,” safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said of the Raiders’ mood. “It’s kind of just a sigh of relief.”
Antonio Pierce surely let one go as well as the clock hit zero. As his first full season as head coach has gone off the rails, there have been plenty of questions about his job security. The negative chatter only intensified after Davis declined to commit to bringing Pierce back in 2025 earlier this month.
Last week, Pierce said his conversations with Davis remained “positive” and responded “I’m under contract” when asked if he felt he’d return for Year 2. He seemed tense then, but that wasn’t the case after beating Jacksonville.
“It’s long overdue,” he said. “It’s good to see all of those smiling faces from our players, our staff and everybody involved in our organization. Obviously, you don’t want to go what we went over the last 10 weeks, but that’s behind us. … I’m very proud of this group for being resilient, blocking out the outside noise and playing for one another.”
If what Davis said about waiting to decide on Pierce’s future is true, then the Raiders’ final two games against the New Orleans Saints (5-9) and Los Angeles Chargers (9-6) will be crucial to his football fate. When speaking to reporters earlier this month, he said he was pleased with the level of effort he’d been seeing from the players. The Raiders winning out would certainly aid Pierce’s cause.
Regardless of whether Pierce remains the coach in 2025, however, it remains clear the Raiders will be in search of an answer at quarterback. The offense failed to crack 20 points for the sixth game in a row as quarterback Aidan O’Connell put forth a middling performance. He was OK — he completed 24 of his 38 passes for 257 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions — but he has yet to look like anything more than a low-end starter.
Still, he did two things that helped the Raiders win on Sunday. He escaped the pocket often — “I was shocked just like you,” Pierce said — and even had a 13-yard scramble. He also threw 13 times to rookie Brock Bowers, who caught 11 for 99 yards and needs five catches to break the NFL rookie record of 105 set last season by Puka Nacua.
“Thinking about records just stresses me out,” Bowers said. “I just want to win. … The vibes are way better. … It’s awesome to see the owner in here so happy for once.”
The Raiders really won Sunday because of a stellar performance by a defense that’s been surging for weeks now. They gave up just two scores to the Jaguars in 12 drives, forced two turnovers and limited them to just 5.0 yards per play. At one point, the defense forced six consecutive stops.
2 for 20!!!#JAXvsLV | 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/3GIirtQcQY
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 22, 2024
And after the Raiders took the lead early in the fourth quarter, the defense ended the game by forcing a three-and-out and a turnover on downs to secure the win. The performance came despite five starters being on injured reserve — defensive ends Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, cornerback Jakorian Bennett and safety Marcus Epps — and another starter sidelined due to an illness (nickelback Nate Hobbs). In their place, unlikely contributors such as Chaisson and Pola-Mao stepped in and made an impact.
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s unit got off to a rough start this season, but they’ve hit their groove since their Week 13 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday. After allowing 28.5 points per game (29th) through the first 12 weeks, they’ve given up just 19 points per game (eighth) in the four games since.
“Man, we kind of just said enough is enough,” Pola-Mao said. “At the end of the day, we don’t care about our record, we don’t care about wins and losses and all of this (other stuff). We fight for each other. We’re going to go out there and fight regardless of the situation.”
Conflicted fan base aside, that’s something to be proud of for a Raiders team that hasn’t had much to be happy about. Whether that puts the franchise in the best draft position is another story, but it’s clear that those at team headquarters aren’t worried about that right now.
“We hear what the fans are saying,” Meyers said. “But we’re professionals. We are going to do our best to win every day.”
Abdullah was asked if he had a message for the fans who are sad about not picking first or second overall.
“Listen, I just work here,” Abdullah said. “And we’re going to try and get another win next week.”
(Photo of Alexander Mattison being lifted by Jackson Powers-Johnson: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
