The Raiders host the Broncos on Christmas Eve in what very well may be their last home game in Oakland. There should be some real energy in the Coliseum on Monday night and there’s a good chance the Raiders (as 2.5-point underdogs) pull off an upset.
But since all we’ve been hearing about is what’s best for the “long term” of the team, do the Raiders really want to beat the Broncos? Of course, the players and coaches want to win (and probably will), but any victories now would come with consequences on draft night.
With the Seahawks now safely in the playoffs, it’s likely that they will rest their starters next week when they host the Cardinals. If the Cardinals win the game and the Raiders lose out, the Raiders would own the first pick in the draft. But even if the Raiders stay at the no. 2 position they currently occupy, the value of the no. 2 pick is significantly more than the no. 4 pick that they would likely fall to by winning either of the next two games.
The drop from pick 2 to pick 4 would cost the Raiders 800 points in draft value – the equivalent of dropping from pick 6 to pick 21. Considering what teams occasionally trade to move up in the draft, the Raiders could be sitting on a gold mine with a pick at the top of the draft.
Any fan who wants to lose a game in any sport is a freaking idiot. Also anyone who doesn’t understand that players and coaches always want to win should have their own social media network for losers. Real fans want to win, dummies want to lose & predict draft picks.
— JT The Brick (@JTTheBrick) November 19, 2018
So before criticizing fans who are hoping for a top pick (or calling them dummies), take a minute to understand that the organization basically took the same approach when they traded away Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper. For the Raiders, it’s all about the future and even though no one wants to watch them fail, a loss would unfortunately probably be the best thing to happen at this point.
twitter: @raidersbeat
You know what, I for one will be extremely happy to see the Raiders leave Oakland, especially if it stop this consistant whine we are getting from your little corner of the world.. No one wants to Tank, but you. I know that fans ans readers of this electronic rag are tired of asking. “do you want some cheese with that whine”…..