The Las Vegas Raiders fought valiantly on Sunday, but ultimately fell short. Despite being multi-score underdogs, the Raiders lost just 23-21 to the Houston Texans in Week 16. It still represented their ninth consecutive loss.
The 2-13 Raiders are tied for the NFL’s worst record with the New York Giants. Notably, the Raiders and Giants play each other in Week 17. While that result will undoubtedly have a massive impact on the final 2026 NFL draft order, Sunday’s results nearly guaranteed that Vegas should possess a crack at drafting a top quarterback in April.
The Tennessee Titans were the biggest threat to the Raiders possessing a top-two pick. Remember the Raiders defeated the Titans in October. The Nashville-based club dominated the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, dropping from No. 3 to sixth overall in the real-time draft order.
Advertisement
Though there are a handful of three-win teams the Raiders could fall behind with a win, none of them have lost nine in a row like Pete Carroll’s squad has. The Titans posed the biggest threat, but Sunday’s win over the division rival Chiefs helped immensely. The Raiders are inching closer to drafting Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Week 16 all but guarantees the Raiders will have a shot at drafting QB