Around this time last month, the Oakland Raiders were rolling.
They had won three games in a row, they were 6-4 overall and were in the driver's seat in the race to land a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoff picture.
However, since then, the Raiders have sunk, as they have lost four consecutive contests to fall to 6-8, most recently falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 20-16 in what was the final game the franchise will ever play in Oakland.
Afterward, head coach Jon Gruden apologized to the fans for the defeat:
“I'd like to say we could have sent the Raiders fans off with a lot better finish than that,” Gruden said, according to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think, most importantly, before we talk about the game, I'd like to thank the fans. I'd like to thank the city of Oakland for supporting the Raiders and being faithful in all kinds of seasons. I'll miss them. I love them and I'm sorry about the outcome today, but I think that's something that needs to be said. An exclamation point. I really apologize that we weren't able to deliver a victory.”
The Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas next season, ending a 25-year run in the Bay Area that, outside of a Super Bowl appearance during the 2002-03 campaign, featured a whole lot of losing.
Since that trip to the Super Bowl, Oakland has made the playoffs just once, which occurred in 2016-17. That represented the only winning season the Raiders have posted during that stretch.
Now, with Oakland's playoff hopes all but dashed, the Raiders will play out their 2019 campaign with road games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.
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