The Raiders said goodbye to their 10-game losing streak with a victory last week against the Jaguars. Could a winning streak be in store for Las Vegas?
They’ll have a shot to win two straight games in New Orleans on Sunday against the Saints. The game kicks off at 10 a.m. PST and will be broadcast by FOX. According to 506sports.com, only Las Vegas and New Orleans stations will carry the game as most of the nation will see the Cowboys face the Eagles.
It’s no surprise that so few NFL fans will see the game on television. The Raiders (3-12) and the Saints (5-10) are using the final two weeks of the season to wrap up disappointing campaigns.
The Saints offense, led by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, was shut out last week by the Packers on national television. There was a chance that former Raiders QB Derek Carr would return from injury for the Saints, but he’s been ruled out. That removes a ton of intrigue from this matchup.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell will again lead the Raiders offense after he returned from injury against the Jaguars. He’ll lean on rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who eclipsed 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in the win against Jacksonville. Bowers is just 10 yards away from breaking the NFL record for receiving yards for a rookie tight end, held by the legendary Mike Ditka.
Bowers, who currently has 101 catches for 1,067 yards this season, is also poised to break the rookie receptions record for any position. He needs five more catches to surpass the record held by Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Two straight victories for Las Vegas will hurt the team’s chances for a top pick in the NFL Draft, but it’s a safe bet that coach Antonio Pierce doesn’t care. It will be tough for the Raiders to win on the road with an early kickoff time, however, so it’s anyone’s guess what will happen in this matchup.