The Las Vegas Raiders' ugly season has resulted in overreactions being made about their team all year long, and that certainly continued in Week 11 after they pulled off a furious rally against the Denver Broncos. Las Vegas seemed set to take a 16-13 loss, but ended up forcing overtime and winning the game 22-16 after just a few plays.
It was a much-needed win for the Raiders, who have struggled mightily in the 2022 season. Despite a big offseason of work, which many believed would turn them into contenders instantly, Las Vegas has looked terrible for much of 2022. While that didn't really change against Denver, all that matters is that they came out with the win in the end.
Even with their latest heroics, the Raiders are still just 3-7 on the season, meaning that this win likely means very little in the grand scheme of their season. Still, there are a lot of overreactions surrounding the team right now, so let's pick out three and see why they are being labeled as such.
1. Josh McDaniels' job as the Raiders head coach is safe
Nobody really knows what the deal is with Josh McDaniels as the Raiders head coach right now, but it's clear he's likely on the hot seat, regardless of what anyone tells you. The Raiders, despite being loaded with talent, are just 3-7, and much of that falls on McDaniels' shoulders. However, this win against the Broncos was a sign that things could turn around soon.
For that reason, it makes sense to believe that McDaniels will be given more time to figure things out. This is only his first season with the Raiders after all, and the team would look foolish for not even letting him finish the season after just hiring him last offseason. Things haven't been great under McDaniels, but it's not as if everything has gone his way either.
Unfortunately, there's just no way to justify that McDaniels' job is safe right now, even if the rumors that the Raiders can't afford to fire him are true (it's supposedly fake news). McDaniels has been given pretty much everything needed to turn the Raiders into a Super Bowl contender and has failed miserably so far. He may be given the rest of the season to figure things out, but if he keeps losing, the Raiders cannot continue to justify allowing him to run their team.
2. Chandler Jones still contributing even if he isn't getting sacks
While there have been many disappointing aspects of this Raiders season, it's tough to find a bigger disappointment than Chandler Jones. The Raiders signed Jones in free agency to team up with Maxx Crosby and give Las Vegas a dominant pass rushing duo, but Jones only has 0.5 sacks this season, showing that he hasn't held up his end of the bargain.
There have been some fans arguing that Jones has managed to remain productive despite his limited sack totals, which may make at least a little bit of sense. Teams simply cannot ignore Jones because he's not getting sacks, and he's still creating pressure, just not at the rate we are accustomed to seeing from him.
The problem is that is just not true. Jones has been a complete nonfactor all season long, and it's telling that his five-tackle outing in Week 11 was probably the best performance of his season. Jones isn't doing what's asked of him, and that's a big reason why the team's defense hasn't lived up to expectations. Jones needs to have a monster final few games to prove his worth to the Raiders, or else this deal will go down as the worst of the 2022 offseason.
3. Derek Carr saved season by rallying to beat the Broncos
The Raiders don't really have playoff hopes at this point, but they managed to keep whatever hopes that had been alive with their miraculous fourth-quarter rally against Denver. That has led many to proclaim Carr as the team's savior for the time being, and while Carr played a huge role in the comeback, there is nothing right about this overreaction.
The Raiders at 3-7 are three games behind the Cincinnati Bengals for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. Las Vegas would basically have to win out and hope that four or five teams ahead of them in the standings completely crumble if they want to earn a playoff spot.
Even if they have playoff hopes, Carr probably wasn't even the main guy who saved the Raiders' season (that would be Davante Adams). Carr figured things out at the last possible moment, and while he helped the Raiders win, his inability to get much of anything else going before that nearly cost them another game. Carr was good, but he's definitely not the savior.
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