Continued losses position the Raiders for a franchise-altering quarterback. Their path to securing the No. 1 pick, and a potential star, intensifies.
The Las Vegas Raiders took their losing streak to seven on Sunday after falling to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24-17. Though the final scoreline tells the story of a close, one-possession game, the outcome was never in doubt for those watching.
With Sunday’s loss, their 11th of the season in 13 games, the Raiders remain tied for the worst record in the league with the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans. There are four games to go for head coach Pete Carroll and the Raiders, and at this point, it’s clear that nothing else matters this season besides setting themselves up for a bounce-back year in 2026.
In a way unique to sports, this means they have to keep losing. Las Vegas will greatly boost morale if it finishes the year in a position to grab the first overall pick and select a franchise-changing player. As the Bleacher Report NFL Staff wrote in a Monday article, the takeaway for the Raiders after Week 14 was that the team is in the thick of the Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza sweepstakes.
“Following its loss to Denver, Las Vegas moved into the No. 2 spot in the 2026 draft order,” the B/R Staff wrote. “In desperate need of a franchise quarterback, the organization should be eyeing Mendoza, who led Indiana to an upset victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.”
“With three of their next four games against playoff-caliber opponents, the Silver and Black could be one step closer to drafting its quarterback of the future.”
Sitting alongside the Giants and Titans at the bottom of the NFL standings bodes well for the Raiders, as both teams drafted quarterbacks in last spring’s draft, meaning they won’t be using their top pick to take Mendoza this year, barring any shocking move.
In a perfect world, Mendoza to Vegas is set in stone as long as the Raiders continue their poor on-the-field play. It’s not a perfect world, however, and there is a way that Las Vegas ends up having Mendoza snatched from their grips at the last second if a team like the Cleveland Browns or Los Angeles Rams trades up to select the quarterback.
The only way to ensure this doesn’t happen is for Las Vegas to lock down the No. 1 pick, leaving no room for anybody else to sweep in. That’s why the rest of the season, despite being eliminated from playoff contention, is so important for the future of the Raiders organization.
With an upcoming schedule containing games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans, losing won't be hard for the Raiders. The biggest game remaining for them, however, is in Week 17 against the Giants. It’s becoming increasingly more likely that the loser of that game will determine who gets the first overall selection in this year’s draft. Raiders fans are certainly hoping it will be them.