2021 Las Vegas Raiders season

62nd season in franchise history, first playoff berth since 2016

2021 Las Vegas Raiders season
Owner	Mark Davis Carol Davis
General manager	Mike Mayock
Head coach	Jon Gruden (resigned October 11, 3–2 record) Rich Bisaccia (interim; 7–5 record)
Home field	Allegiant Stadium
Results
Record	10–7
Division place	2nd AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 19–26
Pro Bowlers	4 LB Denzel Perryman DE Maxx Crosby P A. J. Cole III WR Hunter Renfrow (alternate)
AP All-Pros	3 DE Maxx Crosby (2nd team) K Daniel Carlson (2nd team) P A. J. Cole III (1st team)
Uniform
← 2020 Raiders seasons 2022 →

The 2021 season was the Las Vegas Raiders' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall, their second in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and their eighth (fourth in his second stint) and final under head coach Jon Gruden. On October 11, Gruden resigned due to the publication of homophobic, misogynistic, and racist emails sent by Gruden prior to becoming the Raiders head coach.^[1] Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia was named the interim coach.^[2]

The season marked the first regular season to consist of 17 games.

Week 18, the Raiders made the postseason for the first time since 2016 and their first in Las Vegas.^[4] Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia became the first interim head coach since Bruce Arians in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts to lead their team to a postseason berth. The Raiders finished the season 10–7 and secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. However, their season ended with a 26–19 loss against the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals

in the wild-card round, extending their playoff win drought to 19 years.

The Raiders won four overtime games during the season, a feat accomplished only by the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos in 2011.

Offseason

Notable acquisitions

Position	Player	Age	2020 team
RB	Kenyan Drake	27	Arizona Cardinals
DE	Yannick Ngakoue	26	Minnesota Vikings/Baltimore Ravens
DT	Quinton Jefferson	28	Buffalo Bills
WR	John Brown	31	Buffalo Bills
DT	Matt Dickerson	25	Tennessee Titans
DT	Solomon Thomas	25	San Francisco 49ers
C	Nick Martin	27	Houston Texans
CB	Casey Hayward	31	Los Angeles Chargers

Trades

March 17, 2021[5]	To Las Vegas Raiders 2021 3rd-round pick	To Arizona Cardinals Rodney Hudson CHI's 2021 7th-round pick
March 17, 2021[6]	To Las Vegas Raiders 2022 5th round pick	To New England Patriots Trent Brown 2022 7th round pick
March 21, 2021[7]	To Las Vegas Raiders 2021 5th round pick	To Seattle Seahawks Gabe Jackson

Draft

Main article:

2021 NFL Draft

2021 Las Vegas Raiders Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	17	Alex Leatherwood	OT	Alabama
2	43	Trevon Moehrig	S	TCU
3	79	Malcolm Koonce	LB	Buffalo
	80	Divine Deablo	S	Virginia Tech
4	143	Tyree Gillespie	S	Missouri
5	167	Nate Hobbs	CB	Illinois
6	230	Jimmy Morrissey	C	Pittsburgh

Notes

• The Raiders made two separate trades with the Miami Dolphins. First, the Raiders traded their fourth-round selection to the Dolphins in exchange for linebacker Raekwon McMillan and the Dolphins' fifth-round selection. Then, the Dolphins traded the Raiders' fourth-round selection back to the Raiders in exchange for wide receiver Lynn Bowden and the Raiders' sixth-round selection.^[8]
• The Raiders traded their fifth-round selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for wide receiver Zay Jones.^[9]
• The Raiders received the
  offensive guard Gabe Jackson to the Seahawks.^[10]
• The Raiders forfeited their sixth-round selection as the punishment for repeated COVID-19 protocol violations during the 2020 season.^[11]
• The Raiders traded their seventh-round selection and
  Washington Football Team in exchange for Washington's sixth-round selection.^[12]
  Due to the forfeiture of the Raiders' original sixth-round selection, the Dolphins will likely be the recipient of this selection.

Staff

2021 Las Vegas Raiders staff

Front office Owner – Mark and Carol Davis Interim president/executive vice president/general counsel – Dan Ventrelle General manager – Mike Mayock Senior vice president/director of football administration – Tom Delaney Assistant director of player personnel – DuJuan Daniels Assistant director of player personnel – Trey Scott Vice president of football operations – Tom Jones Director of pro personnel – Dwayne Joseph Director of college scouting – Jim Abrams Assistant director of college scouting – Teddy Atlas Senior advisor to the owner and president – Marcel Reece Senior advisor to the general manager – Walter Juliff Head coaches Interim head coach/special teams coordinator – Rich Bisaccia Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Greg Olson Senior offensive assistant – John Morton Running backs – Tim Berbenich Wide receivers – Edgar Bennett Assistant wide receivers – Nick Holz Tight ends – Austin King Offensive line – Tom Cable Assistant offensive line – Cameron Clemmons Offensive assistant – Taver Johnson

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Gus Bradley Defensive line – Rod Marinelli Assistant defensive line – Travis Smith Linebackers – Richard Smith Defensive backs – Ron Milus Assistant defensive backs – Addison Lynch Defensive quality control – Ryan Milus Special teams coaches Assistant special teams – Byron Storer Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – A. J. Neibel Strength and conditioning assistant – D'Anthony Batiste Strength and conditioning assistant – Deuce Gruden Strength and conditioning assistant – Rick Slate Nutritionist – Ricky Ng

Final roster

2021 Las Vegas Raiders final roster

	Quarterbacks  4 Derek Carr  8 Marcus Mariota Running backs 31 Peyton Barber 28 Josh Jacobs 30 Jalen Richard 41 Sutton Smith FB Wide receivers 89 Bryan Edwards  1 DeSean Jackson 17 Tyron Johnson  7 Zay Jones 13 Hunter Renfrow Tight ends 82 Nick Bowers 85 Derek Carrier 87 Foster Moreau 83 Darren Waller		Offensive linemen 78 Jackson Barton T 72 Jermaine Eluemunor G 68 Andre James C 70 Alex Leatherwood G 66 Nick Martin C 74 Kolton Miller T 75 Brandon Parker T 60 Jordan Simmons G 76 John Simpson G Defensive linemen 98 Maxx Crosby DE 99 Clelin Ferrell DE 90 Johnathan Hankins DT 77 Quinton Jefferson DT 51 Malcolm Koonce DE 94 Carl Nassib DE 91 Yannick Ngakoue DE 92 Solomon Thomas DT 95 Kendal Vickers DT		Linebackers  5 Divine Deablo OLB 55 Marquel Lee MLB 42 Cory Littleton OLB 48 Patrick Onwuasor MLB 52 Denzel Perryman MLB 58 Kyle Wilber MLB 34 K. J. Wright OLB Defensive backs 35 Brandon Facyson CB 37 Tyree Gillespie SS 29 Casey Hayward CB 39 Nate Hobbs CB 32 Dallin Leavitt FS 25 Trevon Moehrig FS 22 Keisean Nixon CB 21 Amik Robertson CB 33 Roderic Teamer FS 10 Desmond Trufant CB Special teams  2 Daniel Carlson K  6 A. J. Cole III P 47 Trent Sieg LS		Reserve lists 24 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 23 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 71 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 64 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 45 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 44 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 93 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 50 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 27 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 96 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 63 Kamaal Seymour T (NF-Inj.Tooltip Non-football injury and illness) Practice squad 38 Jordan Brown FS 20 Tony Brown CB -- Isaiah Buggs DT 67 Lester Cotton G 43 Kavon Frazier SS 65 Hroniss Grasu C 56 Gerri Green DE 86 Daniel Helm TE 54 P. J. Johnson DT 53 Justin March OLB  3 Nathan Peterman QB 79 Jeremiah Poutasi G 36 Trey Ragas RB 97 Damion Square DT 16 Dillon Stoner WR 19 D. J. Turner WR Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 inactive, 16 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 14	Seattle Seahawks	W 20–7	1–0	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
2	August 21	at Los Angeles Rams	W 17–16	2–0	SoFi Stadium	Recap
3	August 29	at San Francisco 49ers	L 10–34	2–1	Levi's Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Season overview

Resignation of executives

In August 2021, CBS Sports noted that several Raiders team executives, including president Marc Badain,^[13] V.P. of strategy and business development Brian Doll, CFO Ed Villanueva, and club controller Araxie Grant, had abruptly resigned their post within months of each other.^[14] Peter King of NBC Sports speculated that Badain's resignation may have had something to do with team finances.^[15]

Resignation of Jon Gruden

Gruden initially started the season as the Raiders head coach. However, prior to week five against the

Washington Football Team. However, a day later, additional emails were released by The New York Times that showed Gruden using misogynistic and homophobic language. After the publication of these emails, Gruden resigned. The Raiders failed to make any announcement after the resignation except to say that they had accepted the resignation and named Rich Bisaccia interim head coach. General manager Mike Mayock did comment on the situation two days later stating that he was "sad for the Gruden family," but also added that everyone is accountable for their actions.^[17] The same day, Mark Davis refused to directly comment on the situation, simply stating, "Ask the NFL. They have all the answers."^[18] It is believed that this statement was in reference to pressure from the NFL for the Raiders to fire Gruden and to "get" the Raiders.^[18][19] After the Raiders win over the Broncos in week six, Davis further commented that the Raiders do not stand for the kind of comments made by Gruden.^[20]

Gruden later filed a lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell alleging that they sought to ruin his career by releasing the emails.^[21][22]

Nassib comes out

In the offseason, defensive end Carl Nassib became the first active player to come out as gay.^[23] After playing in the Raiders’ week 1 game, he became the first openly gay player in NFL history to play in a game during the regular season.^[24]

Player controversies

The Raiders wound up releasing both of their first-round draft picks from the prior season due to notable off-field incidents. On November 2, wide receiver

Clark County Detention Center.^[26] Less than a week later on November 8, cornerback Damon Arnette was also released after the discovery of a video showing him brandishing firearms and making death threats.^[27]

On January 3, cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested in Las Vegas for driving under the influence hours after a Week 17 win against the Indianapolis Colts.^[28]

Schedule

The Raiders' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. The Raiders' game against the Cleveland Browns, originally scheduled for December 18, was postponed to December 20 due to positive COVID-19 cases in the Browns' organization.^[29]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 13	Baltimore Ravens	W 33–27 (OT)	1–0	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 26–17	2–0	Heinz Field	Recap
3	September 26	Miami Dolphins	W 31–28 (OT)	3–0	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
4	October 4	at Los Angeles Chargers	L 14–28	3–1	SoFi Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Chicago Bears	L 9–20	3–2	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
6	October 17	at Denver Broncos	W 34–24	4–2	Empower Field at Mile High	Recap
7	October 24	Philadelphia Eagles	W 33–22	5–2	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
8	Bye
9	November 7	at New York Giants	L 16–23	5–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
10	November 14	Kansas City Chiefs	L 14–41	5–4	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
11	November 21	Cincinnati Bengals	L 13–32	5–5	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
12	November 25	at Dallas Cowboys	W 36–33 (OT)	6–5	AT&T Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	Washington Football Team	L 15–17	6–6	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
14	December 12	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 9–48	6–7	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
15	December 20	at Cleveland Browns	W 16–14	7–7	FirstEnergy Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	Denver Broncos	W 17–13	8–7	Allegiant Stadium	Recap
17	January 2	at Indianapolis Colts	W 23–20	9–7	Lucas Oil Stadium	Recap
18	January 9	Los Angeles Chargers	W 35–32 (OT)	10–7	Allegiant Stadium	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Ravens	7	7	3	10	0	27
Raiders	0	10	0	17	6	33

at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 5:15 p.m.
  Shawn Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN/ABC): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick and Lisa Salters
• Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter BAL – Ty'Son Williams 35-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 1:47. Ravens 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:59. Second quarter BAL – Marquise Brown 10-yard pass from Lamar Jackson (Justin Tucker kick), 8:52. Ravens 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:38. LV – Daniel Carlson kick), 4:14. Ravens 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:38. LV – Daniel Carlson 34-yard field goal, 0:00. Ravens 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 1:12. Third quarter BAL – Justin Tucker 40-yard field goal, 8:24. Ravens 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:24. Fourth quarter LV – Josh Jacobs 15-yard run (Daniel Carlson kick), 9:18. Tied 17–17. Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 2:36. BAL – Latavius Murray 8-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 6:04. Ravens 24–17. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:14. LV – Darren Waller 10-yard pass from Derek Carr (Daniel Carlson kick), 3:44. Tied 24–24. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:20. BAL – Justin Tucker 47-yard field goal, 0:37. Ravens 27–24. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:07. LV – Daniel Carlson 55-yard field goal, 0:02. Tied 27–27. Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 0:35. Overtime LV – Zay Jones 31-yard pass from Derek Carr, 3:38. Raiders 33–27. Drive: 2 plays, 27 yards, 0:53. Top passers BAL – Lamar Jackson – 19/30, 235 yards, TD LV – Derek Carr – 34/56, 435 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers BAL – Lamar Jackson – 12 rushes, 86 yards LV – Josh Jacobs – 10 rushes, 34 yards, 2 TD Top receivers BAL – Sammy Watkins – 4 receptions, 96 yards LV – Darren Waller – 10 receptions, 105 yards, TD

In Week 1, the Raiders opened on Monday Night Football with fans in Allegiant Stadium for the first time in a home regular season game. The Baltimore Ravens arrived in Las Vegas after having suffered several key injuries to running backs in the week leading up to Week One.^[30]

The Raiders received the opening kickoff and moved into Baltimore territory before a shotgun snap that was not expected by Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr led to a 15-yard loss. As a result of the play, the Raiders were forced to punt. The Ravens were unable to do much with the ball and punted as well. A three-and-out series by the Raiders gave the ball to the Ravens at their own 35. The Ravens moved into Raider territory, but were faced with a fourth and one at the Raider 35-yard line. Ty'Son Williams broke through the line on the fourth down play for a 35-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 7–0 lead. The teams exchanged punts on their next possessions before the Ravens moved into Raider territory again. Lamar Jackson hit Marquise Brown on a 10-yard touchdown pass with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter and it appeared the Raiders might get blown out. However, on the ensuing possession, Carr was finally able to connect with tight end Darren Waller and move the ball to the Ravens two-yard line before Josh Jacobs scored to cut the lead in half, 14–7. The Ravens again moved into Raider territory with less than two minutes left in the half, but were stopped short on fourth down and turned the ball over to Las Vegas. Carr quickly moved the Raiders to the Baltimore 14-yard line, but had to settle for a Daniel Carlson 34-yard field goal as the half ended leaving the score 14–10 at halftime.

In the second half, the team exchanged punts again before the Ravens connected on a 40-yard field goal by Justin Tucker to move the lead back to seven at 17–10. The Raiders looked to answer by moving in to Raven territory, but were stuffed on a fourth-and-one at the Raven 13. The teams again exchanged punts as the game moved to the fourth quarter. The Ravens took over with 13:23 remaining in the quarter, but Jackson scrambled and had the ball knocked out of his hands and fumbled with the Raiders' Denzel Perryman recovering the ball at the Baltimore 41. Four plays later, Jacobs scored on a 25-yard run to tie the game at 17. The Ravens quickly answered as Latavius Murray scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to give the Ravens a 24–17 lead with about six minutes remaining. Carr moved the Raiders down field and, with just under four minutes left, hit Waller for a 10-yard touchdown pass to again tie the game. Baltimore responded by moving into Raider territory, but were unable to get a first down on a third-down play at the Vegas 31 and were forced to settle for a field goal with 37 seconds remaining. Carr, with no timeouts, hit Bryan Edwards for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the ensuing possession. After a spike to stop the clock, Carr hit Edwards again for 18 yards to move the ball to the Raven 37. Carlson then hit a 55-yard field to tie the game at 27. With two second remaining in the quarter, the Ravens took a knee to settle for overtime.

In overtime, the Raiders won the toss and moved into Raven territory on a pass by Carr to Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow appeared to step out of bounds at least once on the 27-yard play, but no review was made. Two plays later, Carr, backpedaling to avoid the rush, threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Edwards to apparently win the game. As players celebrated on the field, the play was reviewed and it was determined Edwards was down near the one-yard line, overturning the touchdown. After clearing the field, Carr was stuffed on sneak attempt. Rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood then committed a false start penalty and the ball was moved back outside the five-yard line. Following an incompletion, Carr's next past went through the hands of Willie Snead and bounced off a DeShon Elliott's helmet before being intercepted by Anthony Averett in the end zone for a touchback. After the Ravens took over at the 20, Jackson fumbled again which was again recovered by the Raiders. Following a one-yard run to the Ravens' 26, the Raiders belatedly decided to attempt a field goal. However, due to the slow decision, Carlson did not get on the field in time and the Raiders, who had used their two timeouts on the prior possession, committed a delay of game penalty. Jon Gruden decided to not try the field goal on the next play and Carr, under pressure and backpedaling, threw to a wide open Zay Jones for a 31-yard touchdown to end the game.

The win moved the Raiders to 1–0 on the season. Carr threw for 435 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobs, who was limited with a foot injury, ran for 34 yards on 10 carries as the Raiders managed only 82 yards rushing in the game. Waller was targeted on a career-high 19 pass attempts and caught 10 for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Starting guard Denzelle Good left the game with a torn ACL, ending his season.^[31] Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy also suffered a knee injury that ended his season.^[32]

Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Raiders traveled to Pittsburgh for the 30th all-time meeting with the Steelers for the second game of the season. Both teams entered the game with identical 1–0 records. Raider running back Josh Jacobs was declared unable to play in the game, severely limiting the Raiders rushing attack.

The Steelers received the opening kick and moved to midfield before the Raider defense stiffened and forced a punt. The Raiders gained a first down on their first possession of the game, but could muster nothing further and were forced to punt as well. After a first down for the Steelers on their next possession, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, under pressure, heaved a ball to the Vegas 46-yard line where it was intercepted by Trayvon Mullen and returned to the Steeler 39. The Raiders could do nothing with the ball as a shotgun snap that Derek Carr was not ready for preceded a fumbled snap and a false start by Raider rookie offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood. As a result, the Raiders settled for a Daniel Carlson 46-yard field goal to take the lead. The Steelers moved into Vegas territory on their next possession, but were faced with a fourth and four when Roethlisberger was pressured and threw an incomplete pass. The Raiders took possession early in the second quarter and again moved into Pittsburgh territory, but the drive stalled at the 15-yard line and the Raiders settled for another Carlson field goal to push the lead to 6–0. The Steelers quickly answered, going 75 yards on seven plays, capped off by a JuJu Smith-Schuster three-yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 7–6 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the half. The Raiders answered with their own long drive, moving to the Steeler 17, but again settled for Carlson field goal to take a 9–7 lead at the half.

Getting the ball first in the second half, the Raiders moved to midfield, but were forced to punt. Following a Steeler punt, the Raiders moved into Pittsburgh territory before Carr hit Foster Moreau on a nine-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 16–7. On the play, Carr was hit on his right ankle and remained down for a few minutes before walking off the field. Carr did not miss a play thereafter however. The teams exchanged punts on their next possessions as the game moved into the fourth quarter. The Steelers moved quickly down field on their next possession, going 80 yards on only five plays before rookie running back Najee Harris caught a Roethlisberger short pass and ran 25 yards to dive into the end zone to draw the Steelers within two. The Raiders answered quickly with Carr hitting Henry Ruggs on a 61-yard touchdown score to push the lead to 23–14 with nine minutes remaining in the game. The Raider defense forced Pittsburgh to go three-and-out on the ensuing possession. The Raider offense attempted to chew up the clock on their next possession, but missing Jacobs, were forced to punt. Pittsburgh, trailing by two scores, moved into Raider territory, but were stopped at the Vegas 38 and settled for a Chris Boswell field goal to draw within six at 23–17. Looking to still run clock, but unable to do much running the ball, Carr hit Darren Waller on a 25-yard pass to move into Steeler territory on the next possession. The Raiders ground down the clock and, with 20 seconds remaining, Carlson hit his fourth field goal of the day putting the game out of reach 26–17. The Steelers were unable to score as the clock expired giving the Raiders the road win.

The win was the Raiders sixth in the last eight meetings against the Steelers. Carr threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders limited rushing attack without Jacobs managed only 52 yards on 25 rushes. The win moved the Raiders to 2–0 for the second consecutive season.

Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

The Raiders returned home to face the Dolphins in Week Three. Josh Jacobs was again unable to play for the Raiders. Dolphin starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed the game due to injured ribs.

Each team was forced to punt on their opening possession. The Raiders moved into Miami territory on their second possession of the game. After reaching the Miami 21, Derek Carr was intercepted by Dolphin linebacker Elandon Roberts. Roberts returned the interception 85 yards for the first touchdown of the game, giving the Dolphins a 7–0 lead. On the next possession, the Raiders moved to their own 34 and decided to go for it on fourth-and-one, but were stopped, giving the Dolphins a short field. Four plays later, Malcolm Brown scored on a 24-yard touchdown run and the Raiders were down 14–0 with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Raiders failed to answer on their next possession as penalties forced them to punt to the Dolphins, but a good punt and good coverage downed the ball inside the Miami one-yard line. On the final play of the first quarter, Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett's short pass to Jaylen Waddle in the end zone was played well by Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward as he tackled Waddle in the end zone for a safety. As the quarter ended, the Raiders trailed 14–2. On the ensuing Raider possession, Vegas moved into Miami territory, but were forced to settle for a 50-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson. After a Miami punt, the Raiders moved deep into Miami territory and Carr hit Alec Ingold on a one-yard pass for a touchdown to bring the Raiders within two at 14–12. With less than two minutes to play in the half, the Dolphins moved into Raider territory, but had to settle for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Jason Sanders. The kick hit the left upright as the half expired leaving the score 14–12 at the half.

In the second half, the Dolphins were forced to punt on their first possession and the Raiders moved down the field on a nine-play drive capped off by a Carr 12-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow to give the Raiders a 19–14 lead. The Raider defense again forced a Dolphin punt and the Raiders moved into Miami territory as the third quarter ended. Three plays into the fourth quarter, Raider running back Peyton Barber scored on a one-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 25–14 lead. Looking to put the game out of reach, Carlson's point after attempt was no good and the lead remained 11. The Dolphins answered on their next possession as Sanders hit his first field goal of the game to narrow the lead to eight. Following a quick three-and-out for the Raiders, Miami moved into Vegas territory, but came up short on a fourth down play with four and a half minutes remaining in the half. The Raiders took over with a chance to run out the clock, but Carr was sacked on a third down play and Las Vegas was forced to punt. The Dolphins took over at their own 18 with 3:22 remaining and marched down the field to the Raiders one-yard line. With eight second remaining in the half, Brissett scrambled for the one-yard touchdown run to bring the Dolphins within two. Because of the earlier missed extra point by Carlson, the Dolphins went for two to tie the game and Brissett hit Will Fuller on a pass for the two-point conversion. With two seconds remaining, the Raiders choose to kneel and settle for overtime.

In their second overtime game of the season, the Raiders won the toss and moved to the Dolphin 20-yard line. However, two Carr incompletions resulted in Carlson kicking a 38-yard field goal to give the Raiders the 28–25 lead. Needing a field goal to keep the game going, Miami moved into Vegas territory, but settled for a 50-yard field goal to tie the game again. With the next score winning the game, Carr hit Bryan Edwards on a 34-yard pass to move to the Dolphin 46. A 27-yard run by Barber put the ball at the Miami 19. Three more runs by Barber moved the ball to the Miami six and following a Carr kneel-down, Carlson kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Raiders the 31–28 win.

Peyton Barber ended up rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown filling in for Jacobs. However, the missed extra point and the Raiders inability to run out the clock in the fourth quarter led to the overtime period and the shaky win over a Dolphin team playing without their starting quarterback. The win moved the Raiders to 3–0 on the season.

Week 4: at Los Angeles Chargers

For the second time this season, the Raiders played on Monday Night Football, this time against the Chargers. The game was delayed for approximately half an hour due to lightning in the area despite the fact that SoFi Stadium has a roof.^[33]

The Chargers received the opening kick and moved methodically down the field. Reaching the Vegas four-yard line, Justin Herbert threw a touchdown pass to give the Chargers and early 7–0 lead. The Raiders only gained three yards on their first possession and were forced to punt to the Chargers. Neither team could manage much for the rest of the quarter as both teams punted on their next two possessions. In the second quarter, the offenses continued to struggle with only the Raiders managing a first down in the first seven minutes of the quarter. With Just under eight minutes remaining, the Chargers took over at their own 20. Six plays later, Herbert hit Jared Cook on a 10-yard pass to put San Diego up 14–0. The Raiders again were forced to punt without getting a first down and gave the ball to the Chargers with 2:44 remaining in the half. LA's offense again moved swiftly down the field and Herbert hit Austin Ekeler on a 14-yard touchdown pass to move the score to 21–0. Taking over with 24 seconds left in the half, the Raiders ran out the clock. The Raider offense, which had been so prolific in the first three weeks, managed only one first down and only 51 yards in the half.

Taking the opening possession of the third quarter, the Raider offense came alive as they moved into LA territory before Derek Carr hit Hunter Renfrow for a 10-yard touchdown to narrow the lead to 21–7. The Raider defense allowed the Chargers to move into Vegas territory, but got a sack on third down by Darius Philon to force a Charger punt. The Raider offense continued its better play in the half, moving to the Charger three before Carr hit Darren Waller for a touchdown to narrow the lead to seven. The Raiders again forced the Chargers to punt on their next possession and Vegas took over with 13:26 left in the game. Carr hit Henry Ruggs on the first play of the drive for a 51-yard gain to the Charger 35. However, the drive stalled there with Carr being sacked on third down. Daniel Carlson missed a 52-yard field goal attempt that would have narrowed the lead to four. The missed field goal gave the Chargers the ball at the Vegs 42. They quickly took advantage and Ekeler scored on an 11-yard run with just over five minutes remaining to effectively end the game. The Raiders moved to midfield on their next possession, but Carr was intercepted ending the drive. The Chargers moved to the Vegas 36 on their next possession and lined up for a field goal, but instead punted the ball, pinning the Raiders inside their 10. With less than two minutes remaining, the Raiders could not get a first down, turning the ball over to LA and the Chargers were able to kneel out the clock to defeat the Raiders 28–14.

Carr, who had thrown for over 380 yards in each of the first three games, was limited to 196 yards in the loss. Josh Jacobs, who returned to the lineup for the Raiders, rushed for 40 yards on 13 attempts as the Chargers stymied the Raider offense. The loss moved the Raiders to 3–1 on the season.

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

The Raiders returned home to face the 2–2 Bears.

The Bears received the opening kick, but were unable to secure a first down and were forced to punt. The Raiders, likewise, were unable to get a first down and punted the ball back to the Bears. After the punt, the Raiders moved into Bear territory and Josh Jacobs was tackled at the Bear two-yard line. Another rush by Jacobs gave the Raiders a touchdown. However, multiple holding calls on the Raiders took the touchdown off the board and moved the Raiders back to the 12. Two incomplete passes later and Vegas settled for a 31-yard Daniel Carlson field goal to take a 3–0 lead. The Bears moved into Vegas territory on their next possession and quarterback Justin Fields hit Bear tight end Jesper Horsted for a two-yard touchdown pass to take a 7–3 lead with 13:16 remaining in the second half. Following a 32-yard catch and run by Jacobs, the Raiders moved to the Bear 27. On fourth and one, the Raiders chose to go for it and Jacobs was tackled for no gain, turning the ball over to the Bears. Taking over at their own 14 after an unnecessary roughness call after the previous play, the Bears moved deep into Las Vegas territory. After the two-minute warning, running back Damien Williams scored on a four-yard run to give the Bears the 14–3 lead. The Raiders, looking to answer with less than two minutes remaining, were unable to get a first down and were forced to punt. Chicago took over with less than a minute remaining, but Fields was tackled at the Raider 44 to end the half with the Bears ahead 14–3.

In the third quarter, the teams exchanged punts before Derek Carr was intercepted at the Raider 45. Chicago could not take advantage of the turnover, failing to gain a yard and punting back to the Raiders. Vegas was able to get a couple of first downs on their next possession, but were again forced to punt. Following a Chicago punt, Las Vegas moved into Bear territory. Carr rushed up the middle on a third and one play, gaining two yards and a first down, but remained on the turf with an injury. Carr was able to trot off the field, but was replaced by backup quarterback Nathan Peterman. Carr returned to the field following a few plays on the sideline and the Raiders moved to the Bear one-yard line. Jacobs went over the top to score with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. The Vegas two-point attempt failed, leaving the Raiders behind 14–9. The Bears moved into Vegas territory on their next possession and added a 46-yard field goal to extend their lead to 17–9. With just over two minutes remaining, the Raiders were unable to get a first down and failed to convert a fourth and five, turning the ball over to the Bears. Another 46-yard field goal put the game out of reach at 20–9 with 56 seconds remaining. The Raiders were unable to do anything on their next possession as time expired and the Bears won 20–9.

The Raider offense continued to struggle in their second consecutive loss. The Raiders only gained 249 yards in the loss. The Bears out-rushed the Raiders 143 to 71, but the Raider defense kept them in the game, yielding only 20 points.

The loss moved the Raiders to 3–2 on the season.

This marked Jon Gruden's final game as the head coach for the Raiders as he announced his resignation the following day amid the ongoing controversy regarding his racist, misogynistic, and homophobic emails he sent prior to rejoining the Raiders.^[1]

Week 6: at Denver Broncos

The Raiders next visited the Broncos with new interim head coach Rich Bisaccia at the helm. The teams entered the game with identical 3–2 records on the season.

The Raiders received the ball first and moved to midfield quickly. On third and two from the Denver 48, Derek Carr hit Henry Ruggs on a 48-yard touchdown to give Las Vegas the early 7–0 lead. Denver quickly answered as they moved into Raider territory and Bronco quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw to Tim Patrick for a 23-yard score to tie the game at seven. On the ensuing Raider possession, Carr hit Hunter Renfrow on a 25-yard pass play to move into Denver territory. However, the drive stalled and the Raiders had to settle for a Daniel Carlson 50-yard field goal to retake the lead 10–7. On the next Denver possession, Bridgewater was intercepted by Brandon Facyson giving the Raiders the ball at midfield. As the game moved to the second quarter, the Raider drive stalled and they settled for a 43-yard field goal attempt by Carlson that hit the right upright leaving the score at 10–7. The teams exchanged three-and-outs on their next possessions. The Broncos moved to midfield with under five minutes remaining in the half, but were again forced to punt. Both teams again punted and the Raiders took over at their own 26 with 1:01 left in the half. Carr hit Darren Waller for a 31-yard gain on the drive to move the ball to the Denver 31. On the ensuing play, Carr hit Kenyan Drake on a 31-yard catch and run for the Raiders' second touchdown of the game, moving the score to 17–7. With only 30 seconds left in the half, Bridgewater was sacked by Maxx Crosby to end the half.

The Broncos were forced to punt again on their first possession of the third quarter. Carr quickly hit Josh Jacobs on a 29-yard pass play to move the ball into Denver territory. Drake then scored on an 18-yard run to increase the Raider lead to 24–7. The Broncos, looking to answer on the ensuing possession, moved into Vegas territory, but were stopped at the 14 and forced to settle for field goal to narrow the lead to 14. Following a three-and-out for the Raiders, Bridgewater fumbled near midfield and the Raiders recovered at the Denver 42. Five plays later, Jacobs ran in to the end zone from three yards out to extend the lead to 31–10 as the third quarter ended. Denver, trailing by 21, moved into Vegas territory before Bridgewater hit Courtland Sutton for a 12-yard touchdown to narrow the lead to 14 again. On the ensuing Raider possession, Carr hit Bryan Edwards on a 51-yard pass play to set up another Carlson field goal to move the lead to 17. With just under eight minutes remaining in the game, Bridgewater was intercepted again at the Vegas 20-yard line by Trevon Moehrig-Woodward who returned the interception to the Denver 45. The Raiders were unable to take advantage of the field position and were forced to punt, giving Denver the ball with 4:03 remaining in the game. Denver, in desperation mode, moved quickly into Vegas territory and Bridgewater hit Noah Fant for a four-yard touchdown pass to narrow the lead to 10 with 1:10 remaining. The Broncos attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball at the Denver 44. However, four plays later Bridgewater was intercepted again, this time by Johnathan Abram to seal the 34–24 win.

The Raiders, who had struggled offensively in the previous two games, gained 426 yards of offense against the Broncos as Carr threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

The win moved the Raiders to 4–2 on the season and left them tied with the Chargers for first place in the division.

Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles