The Las Vegas Raiders have already done plenty to give themselves the best chance at landing the top pick in next April's draft. In fact, by the time their Week 18 game against the Kansas City Chiefs kicks off on Sunday, they may have the No. 1 pick already locked up.
Placing Brock Bowers, Jeremy Chinn and Jordan Meredith on Injured Reserve before last week's "Tank Bowl" was a strong statement, and sidelining Maxx Crosby for the year, albeit against his will, was further evidence that the Raiders have their sights set on things other than winning right now.
Clearly, the higher-ups in Las Vegas are intent on Las Vegas not wrecking their draft position and protecting their investments ahead of the 2026 NFL season. They may need to do even more ahead of the season finale, however, after watching Geno Smith go down in Week 17.
Geno Smith injury should encourage Raiders to sit anyone deemed valuable
Last Sunday against the New York Giants, Smith threw his second interception of the contest and suffered a high-ankle sprain during the return. This occurred in the fourth quarter, with the game out of reach, which made Smith's injury feel both disappointing and entirely preventable.
Sunday's game against the Chiefs will be utterly meaningless, that is, unless the Raiders find a way to blow their chances at the No. 1 pick. While they can still land atop the board with a win, it is better to be safe than sorry, especially factoring in Smith's injury.
Injuries are so commonplace in the NFL, and if a pivotal piece of Las Vegas' future goes down on Sunday with something significant, the Raiders will be kicking themselves for not taking more precautions in this game.
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Adam Butler also went down last Sunday, and Dylan Parham couldn't go just before kickoff, either. Getting hurt is like breathing in this league, so there is no reason to risk things with someone like Jack Bech, who missed last week with a back injury. Yes, he needs reps. But he also needs to be available.
Anyone nursing any sort of ailment should be shut down, both in an attempt to clinch the No. 1 pick, but more importantly, to protect players and look out for their health in what is likely to be a fairly meaningless season finale in the grand scheme of things.
While this game should serve as a tryout for some unproven players, it should also serve as a rest week for players who have proven that they should be a part of the future in Las Vegas. Let Chris Collier spell Ashton Jeanty a bit. Let Decamerion Richardson get some run in place of Eric Stokes.
There are ways to still try and field a competitive team and not outwardly tank while also mitigating disaster. Injuries are way too hard to predict in the NFL, but given the season that this team has had, they may as well protect themselves and not also risk ruining things for next year.