The Las Vegas Raiders have made it look impossible to get things right and find consistent success since the beginning of the millennium, dating back to when they were in Oakland. The team has not won a playoff game since 2002, making just two appearances, which were spaced out by five years.
Las Vegas has gone through countless regime changes, and none have brought the success that the fan base wants or deserves. Instead of taking their medicine and undergoing a full rebuild, however, the organization has constantly tried to patch things together, but to no avail.
Raider Nation has watched plenty of others turn things around recently, while our beloved franchise has not done the same. Las Vegas' front office could look to its Week 16 opponent, the Houston Texans, as an example of how to quickly go from a perennially losing team to a consistent winner.
Raiders should follow the Texans' blueprint to turn things around
Houston, the NFL's youngest franchise, has never enjoyed three straight winning seasons. They even went through three years with a combined 11-38-1 record between 2020 and 2022. Similar to the Raiders, the franchise hired a veteran coach, Lovie Smith, in the final season of that dismal stretch.
Instead of helping the organization turn things around, Smith went 3-13-1 in his lone season leading the Texans. One of those wins came at what many believed was the detriment of the franchise, as the team picked up a meaningless 32-31 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18.
While Houston appeared destined for the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Smith, who had no shot of returning to his post as head coach, still did everything to win, leading the offense on a game-winning touchdown drive and two-point conversion with less than a minute left.
Many thought that his actions would come back to bite the Texans, but things have since worked out. Houston wound up selecting C.J. Stroud second overall, and they are 29-19 since that fateful Week game. At 9-5 this season, they're on the verge of their third-straight playoff berth and winning season.
Obviously, getting the No. 1 overall pick next April is still something that Raider Nation should want. But this should give fans hope that they can still have success with who most consider to be the second-best quarterback in the class, Dante Moore, who is ironically a bit of a Stroud clone.
RELATED: Bombshell QB benching just brought Raiders’ dream coach one step closer
The Raiders, who have struggled to find success like the Texans have had recently, are also dealing with an older coach who appears content with trying to win meaningless games down the stretch. Las Vegas would be wise to take a page out of its Week 16 opponent's book.
Las Vegas has had a seemingly impossible path back into contention. However, the Texans have shown that it may not be as difficult as things seem. Houston was able to land their franchise quarterback, despite not holding the first overall pick, but simply by letting the draft come to it.
They were aggressive at other points in the draft, however, as they also traded up to select edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. The duo was named Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, respectively. Houston had the perfect blend of standing pat and going to get their guy.
While the Raiders may not land such an impactful duo in the 2026 NFL Draft, they should follow the blueprint laid out by the Texans. Landing a young and truly impactful head coach like Houston's DeMeco Ryans and taking the initiative to draft the pieces that they want would pay major dividends.
Building this team through the trenches and focusing on employing a rock-solid defense would also be a good start for Las Vegas, and they can add offensive pieces as they go. But this team isn't going anywhere without a good defense, strong trench play and a good young quarterback.
The Texans probably weren't thinking they'd see immediate results, but one season after finishing 3-13-1, they went 10-7 and won the AFC South. If Las Vegas' front office can execute a similar plan in the offseason, it would have the opportunity to set the franchise up for long-term success.
Houston, which ranked 30th in scoring offense, 31st in total yards, 27th in scoring defense, and 30th in total yards allowed under Smith in 2022, is a perfect example to follow. They now have the league's best defense, by a mile, and a competent offense even when Stroud is sidelined.
It sounds obvious: get the right head coach and draft really well! But, ultimately, landing the right head coach and quarterback combination is the single most important thing in turning your franchise around, and it is all that is standing between the Raiders and long-term success.