Around one year ago at this time, the Las Vegas Raiders were supposedly buoyant.
The malignant approach of fired head coach Josh McDaniels had been exorcised from the franchise, victory cigars were a thing again, players felt heard, and Las Vegas team owner Mark Davis seemed to have a renewed pep of optimism in his step. Even with a subpar 2-3 record in the P.M. (post-McDaniels) era, things were starting to feel right again heading into mid-December of 2023. There was hope. And as the remainder of the season unfurled, it seemed well-founded.
The Raiders and interim head coach Antonio Pierce would take McDaniels’ 3-5 start and marry it to a 5-4 finish.