Raiders lose in OT, dashing slim playoff hopes inside Allegiant Stadium
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders played their first game with Jarrett Stidham as the starting quarterback on Sunday, and he looked every bit the part early on.
It did not take long for Jarrett Stidham to make a statement in front of the Las Vegas Raiders faithful, as he led a touchdown drive on the team’s first possession. Playing against one of the better defenses in all of football, Stidham worked the ball downfield with his arm, and his legs, culminating the drive with a touchdown pass to Darren Waller.
That would be the start of an excellent first half for the four-year veteran, a player making his first NFL start. Stidham would end the first half with a beautifully run two-minute drill, finding Davante Adams in the end zone to give the Silver and Black the halftime lead.
However, as has been the case all season long, the Raiders were not able to hold onto a lead, one that stretched into double-digits in the second half. A late touchdown to Davante Adams would send the game into overtime, and the Silver and Black looked in great shape as they won the coin toss.
In the end, Stidham was hit by Nick Bosa as he threw and the ball was intercepted and returned deep into Raiders territory. Robbie Gould, who missed a game-winning field goal as regulation ended, got his revenge, as San Francisco won the game 37-34.
Las Vegas became the first NFL team to ever lose five games in a season where they held double-digit leads in the second half, and with the loss, saw their slim playoff hopes dashed.
Raiders may have something with Stidham
Stidham had an incredible day under center outside of the final interception, and he definitely played a lot better than Derek Carr had been playing. In fact, he threw for more yards on Sunday than Carr did in any single game all season long, and he continued to keep the Raiders in the game with his arm, and his feet.
Wide receiver Davante Adams set the franchise single-season receiving yards record in the loss, as he hauled in two touchdowns from Stidham. The change to Stidham did not change much in terms of Adams’ production, and if he is going to be the guy moving forward, this was a nice glimpse of what could be from the tandem.