Even When the Raiders Win, They Lose

by Matt George – Sports 1140 KHTK Reporter

Rejoice! The Oakland Raiders won a game they are “supposed” to win. However, based on their record, the remainder of the season, and the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders’ 23-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday may not be such a good thing. An ugly contest, featuring inconsistent offense, multiple dropped interceptions, and verbal altercations between coaches and players, was won in the final seconds by a 35-yard field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson.

DANIEL CARLSON FOR THE WIN! #Raiderspic.twitter.com/RQg5CiCJaN

— MyBookie Sportsbook (@betmybookie) November 19, 2018

Don’t let Jon Gruden’s celebrations fool you. There is zero chance he is pleased with this win, unless he truly is as clueless as many of his media interviews portray. With the victory, the Raiders, who were in sole possession of the number one pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, have now relinquished that top selection to the San Francisco 49ers, who have the same record but edge out Oakland in strength of schedule. So yes, the Silver and Black got their win, but in doing so, they traded away the only good thing about this season for meaningless Arizona bragging rights.

Not everything was happy-go-lucky for the Raiders though Sunday. There were multiple, inaudible shots of quarterback Derek Carr and Gruden arguing on the sidelines after embarrassing offensive sets. Reportedly, Gruden had to be held back by some Raiders players and staff after this little spat:

Gruden and Carr exchanging words after a terrible 3 and out sequence. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/im3f7XkU3x

— TAJI. (@InfiniteRaiders) November 18, 2018

Carr didn’t have the best day, completing 61% of his passes for 192 yards and a couple touchdowns, but he out-performed Cardinals rookie Josh Rosen (which isn’t saying much). Carr was also bailed out by dropped interceptions by the Arizona defense during the Raiders’ game-winning drive. Rosen completed just nine passes, 11 if you count the two interceptions that he threw directly to Oakland.

It looked as if neither team wanted to win this game. Arizona was just able to suck more. Both teams are now 2-8 on the season, at the bottom of their West divisions. The good news for the Raiders is that they will be sure to get back to their losing ways next week in Baltimore against the Ravens.

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