The 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders will host the AFC West leaders, the Denver Broncos, in a Week 14 clash on December 7. Moreover, it’s the second time these two rivals have faced off in a matter of weeks, having met on November 6.
Las Vegas come into this matchup riding a miserable stretch, having lost six straight games. Meanwhile, the Broncos are the exact opposite, having won nine games in a row with their defense playing a significant role in this stretch.
In three of the four wins during the month of November, the Denver defense kept the opposition from scoring 20 or more points. Ahead of the game against the Broncos, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll shared his thoughts on two key players on the Denver defense: Patrick Surtain II and Nik Bonitto.
“Surtain, we’ll find out what their game plan is, how they’re going to move him around because they do move him around, and they try to put him where they think the ball’s going, and so they know what they’re doing,” Carroll said on the December 2 edition of “1 on 1.” “The coach does a nice job with them. So that’s just one thing we have to deal with.
“The big fella coming off the edge, he’s been on fire, and he had a huge play. He knocks the last play down, and they had a chance to score, and they’re going to beat him, and he knocks the ball down right out of the quarterback’s hands, and that’s the kind of plays they’ve come up with this season. So those guys are problems. He’ll be roaring off the edge. We have to take care of him.”
Should Pete Carroll Remain With the Raiders?
In the final stretch of the season, Carroll is aiming to persuade the Raiders’ front office to grant him a second year with the Silver and Black. Still, if Las Vegas opts to move on after just one season, Raiders insider for Sports Illustrated, Hondo Carpenter, doubts there will be a rush of coordinators vying for the head coaching position.
“Talking to a lot of people around the NFL, this is not going to be an attractive job,” Carpenter said on the November 30 edition of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.” “So either they’re going to have to make some big-time assurances to a big-time coach, or they’re going to have to go the youth route. And if you go the youth route, you are rolling the dice. I’m not rooting against the franchise, but if you go the youth route, you’d better hope they hit big.
“And those guys usually don’t, but you better hope they do, because the way this franchise has been conditioned, you go get a young coach and he has a rough year, and next year could be rough. Then your fan base is going to be calling to get him fired, and you’re right back where you are.”
Pete Carroll Aims to Convince the Raiders for Another Season
Carpenter believes that these last handful of games are the final test for Carroll to convince the front office to give him a second season. If the Raiders can somehow play spoiler and get impressive wins against opponents like the Broncos, then maybe the front office could give me a second season.
“Can [the Raiders] all get on the same page with Pete? And if not, are [they] willing to overpay with a coach that [they] can all get on the same page with, or do [they] go with a new guy, [a] new beginner, and then [they are] going to have to help him put together a staff. And what if that doesn’t work? Because those are things you got to look at.
“There are pieces to this that go into this, and I think these last five games are [a] total evaluation. Total evaluation. You’ve got to look at every opportunity with a magnifying glass over the totality of the organization.”
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