Prior to the season, Las Vegas Raiders fans had their matchup with the New Orleans Saints highlighted.
There was no vaunted history between the two teams, or any bad blood that could boil over. Even now, the 3-12 Raiders and 5-10 Saints does not register as a marquee matchup.
However, the Saints do have someone who adds a built-in storyline against the Raiders: quarterback Derek Carr.
This was to be Carr’s first game against his former team since the Raiders released him in 2023. Depending on the result, Carr would be the first team to either earn a victory or defeat against all 32 NFL teams.