The Las Vegas Raiders dropped to 2-12 on the season with a 15-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, and despite the losses piling up, head coach Antonio Pierce and quarterback Desmond Ridder said the team is still working hard to get that third win on the season.
“These guys are not budging. I am not budging,” Pierce said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “We’ll keep chopping wood and at some point the damn thing will break and go our way.”
Pierce is possibly coaching to keep his job in 2025, as the Raiders could decide to clean house if this season keeps going this way in the final three games. The Raiders are in play for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it could be argued that they should reset in the front office and at head coach. Ridder, who took over the starting role this week due to Aidan O’Connell’s injury, echoed the sentiment of Pierce.
“It’s tough being in the position we are in,” Ridder said, via Tafur. “We’re just searching… searching for a win, searching for positive energy. We fight every single week. But we just keep saying that we fight and nothing is happening where we can go push over the edge and get a win.”
Ridder was looking for a win against his former team, but was unable to do so after a final drive came up short. It is unknown whether or not he will play this coming week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, depending on O’Connell’s status.
How will Raiders finish 2024 season?
As mentioned before, the Raiders will play the Jaguars this upcoming week. That is likely their best chance for a win before the end of the season. It will be interesting to see the type of effort they come out with. Both teams are banged up in multiple areas.
Following the game against the Jaguars, the Raiders have games against the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers to close the season. The Saints game could be winnable for Los Angeles, given that Derek Carr is likely to miss that game due to injury. The Chargers game on paper is the toughest, but they could be resting starters at that point, depending on what the playoff scenarios are.
It will be interesting to see how the Raiders close the season, if there are any changes made to the front office and coaching staff, and where they end up picking in the 2025 NFL Draft.
