On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders lost to the 0-2 Carolina Panthers. It was far worse than the final score might entail. It was a massive upset.
It’s not something that “Raider Nation” should be unfamiliar with. This has been a troubling pattern for this team for years. Getting fans excited with a big win, only to completely fall flat the next week to an inferior opponent. Here are a few honorable mentions for the top losses that have occurred relatively recently.
Honorable Mention: 2023 vs. Chicago Bears
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The Josh McDaniels error features a significant number of candidates. The Bears game with Tyson Bagent starting last season was a backbreaker. Chicago not only dominated the Raiders offense, they ran wild with D’onta Foreman to a 30-12 win.
There had been an organizational divide on whether to start Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell, with only McDaniels wanting to start Hoyer. It was a game fans can point to as representative of the entire McDaniels error. Fortunately for “Raider Nation,” this was the game that set in motion the end of McDaniels’ time in Las Vegas.
Honorable Mention: 2023 vs. Minnesota Vikings
This game was painful for a far different reason. The Las Vegas Raiders lost 3-0 to the Minnesota Vikings at home in a game reminiscent of the infamous 2007 Dolphins-Steelers “Mud Bowl.” The difference is that this game was played in a dome so there was no reason for this.
The most frustrating part is the Raiders had a chance to win before Hunter Renfrow fumbled away the football in the red zone. In addition, the Raiders went on to smoke the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21 the following Thursday. It was their second-ever loss to third-string quarterback Nick Mullens who relieved backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
Honorable Mention:: 2022 vs. New Orleans Saints
While the losses in 2022 at the Rams and Chiefs were considered, this game has to be honorably mentioned. The Saints were turning to backup quarterback Andy Dalton and beat the Las Vegas Raiders 24-0. It was humiliating on every level, similar to Sunday’s loss to Carolina.
Alvin Kamara went off for three touchdowns that day. That day ended up being the day that caused McDaniels to part ways with longtime quarterback Derek Carr. Like many events in the McDaniels error, there was no backup plan which doomed the team moving forward. Here are the top losses that were painful for the Las Vegas Raiders fanbase that were more impactful than the ones mentioned.
1. 2018 vs. San Francisco 49ers
The final “Battle of the Bay” for football. This game was a solid 10/10 on the pain scale for “Raider Nation.” It was bad enough for football fans to have to sit through a primetime game of 1-7 and 1-8 teams, but this was a blowout too.
Adding to it, the 49ers were starting third-string rookie quarterback Nick Mullens. The San Francisco 49ers sent the Oakland Raiders on their way to Las Vegas with a 34-3 boot to the rear, ending the final series tally as a tie. Adding to the pain was the 49ers would later win a coin toss at the NFL Draft which led to the drafting of Nick Bosa.
2. 2022 vs. Indianapolis Colts
The infamous Jeff Saturday game. The Indianapolis Colts limped into this game with their former center coaching his first-ever game. He had been coaching high school football with a losing record and had decided to reinstate 39-year-old Matt Ryan as his starting quarterback.
It didn’t seem to matter. On that day, Ryan turned in a 39-yard run as the Colts beat the Las Vegas Raiders 25-20 in Las Vegas for their only win under Saturday. It had to be the most disappointing defeat in the Josh McDaniels error. It doesn’t get much worse than being the only team defeated by a former high school football coach.
3. 2024 vs. Carolina Panthers
The most recent defeat is on the list. The Las Vegas Raiders walked into this one 1-1 with a massive upset win last week in Baltimore. They went on to fall completely flat against the Panthers, part of a troubling trend the team has of falling to teams they should defeat.
The offense and defense were so non-existent that head coach Antonio Pierce stated that he felt some guys “made business decisions.” It was a bad look to lose to a team that followed up last season’s 2-15 record by starting this season 0-2. The cherry on top was that Carolina was starting their backup quarterback, Dalton, just like the Saints did in 2022.
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