Records Broken, Questions Raised, and a Big Week Ahead

RAIDERS BEAT THE CHIEFS — NOW WHAT?

The Raiders closed the season with a win over the Chiefs — and now the real questions begin. In the latest Silver & Black Sports Network podcast, I break down how the Raiders pulled off the upset, what it means for the No. 1 overall pick, and where things stand with Pete Carroll’s future still unresolved. We also dive into Ashton Jeanty’s record-breaking performance and what it says about his role moving forward. It’s a shorter postgame episode, but an important one as the offseason picture starts to come into focus — and it’s worth the listen.

CRAZY STATS

• The Raiders didn’t score a touchdown in the season finale, marking the fifth time this year they failed to reach the end zone. Over the last 20 seasons, only two teams have had more games without a touchdown — the 2006 Raiders (seven) and the 2008 Browns (six).

• Ashton Jeanty carried the ball 20 times against the Chiefs, just the fourth time all season he reached 20 or more rushing attempts.

  I know what you might be thinking: “Jesse, we won the game — why are you being so negative?” Just keep scrolling. There’s one more crazy stat I couldn’t put here, and it says a lot about Ashton Jeanty.

JEANTY’S RECORD BREAKING DAY

Ashton Jeanty was dealt a tough hand. He was drafted sixth overall by a team that gambled on its offensive line — and that gamble backfired in a big way. But none of that stopped Jeanty from putting together a record-breaking season. His 94 scrimmage yards against the Chiefs pushed his season total to 1,321, breaking Josh Jacobs’ franchise record for scrimmage yards by a rookie (1,316).

It’s also worth noting that Josh Jacobs set that mark in just 13 games, compared to the 17 it took Jeanty to get there. Context matters, though. Jacobs ran behind an offensive line that featured Kolton Miller, Richie Incognito, Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, and Trent Brown — while Jeanty spent this season working behind a patchwork unit chock-full of injuries and run-blocking issues.

Jeanty finished the year with 975 rushing yards. Sure, it’s a little disappointing he didn’t crack the 1,000-yard mark in the finale, but digging deeper into the numbers tells the real story. Of those 975 yards, 639 came after contact. For context, 13 different rookies have rushed for over 1,000 yards in the last ten seasons. None of them had more yards after contact than Jeanty did. That explains a lot — and says plenty about the kind of talent the Raiders have here. Give him a real offensive line and a little more room to operate, and it’s easy to see how this could turn into something special.

THEY GOT THE #1 OVERALL PICK…BUT…

Thanks to the Giants’ win over the Cowboys, the Raiders already had the No. 1 overall pick locked up regardless of what happened against the Chiefs. That said, the win over Kansas City didn’t come without consequences.

By beating the Chiefs, the Raiders finished the season 3–14, tied with the Jets, Cardinals, and Titans for the worst record in the league. While Las Vegas still secured the top pick thanks to the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker, they’ll now alternate picks with those three teams in the later rounds of the draft.

Raiders 2026 NFL Draft picks:

• Round 1, pick 1

• Round 2, pick 36

• Round 3, pick 67

• Round 4, pick 102

• Round 4, pick 117 (from JAX via MIN)

• Round 4, pick 134 (comp pick*)

• Round 5, pick 174 (comp pick*)

• Round 6, pick 182

• Round 6, pick 185 (from JAX via NYJ)

• Round 7, pick 219

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

WHO ELSE STOOD OUT IN THE SEASON FINALE?

TYREE WILSON

• Tyree balled out — easily the best game of his career. Yes, it came against a Chiefs lineup full of backups, but you don’t control who’s on the other side, and he took full advantage. He finished tied for the team lead with six tackles, added two sacks, two tackles for loss, forced two fumbles, and even recorded a safety. That’s an unreal stat line no matter who you’re playing against. I also thought he set the edge well on multiple occasions. He may not have lived up to the expectations that come with being drafted seventh overall, but with one year left on his rookie deal, he’s shown he can be a quality depth piece moving forward — and his versatility certainly helps.

TONKA HEMINGWAY

• Tonka picked up a pair of sacks against the Chiefs, pushing his season total to three. Not bad for a rookie. He’s another guy who really developed down the stretch and earned the coaching staff’s trust. Even with a likely staff change coming, he’s someone the next group can absolutely work with.

MICHAEL MAYER

• “Big Mike” led the team in receiving yards for the second straight week, hauling in three catches for 47 yards. Over the final two games of the season, he finished with 12 receptions for 136 yards. I mentioned it in Friday’s newsletter, but it’s worth repeating: the Raiders ran 12 personnel at the fourth-highest rate in the league this year, and Mayer and Brock Bowers need to be on the field together more next season. They’re simply too talented not to lean into that pairing.

DANIEL CARLSON

• It’s been a rough season for Daniel Carlson. In a contract year, he finished 22-for-27 (81.5%), his lowest field-goal percentage since joining the Raiders in 2019. But he went out on a high note Sunday, going 4-for-4 with two 50-plus-yard field goals and drilling a career-long 60-yarder to seal the win over Kansas City. Will he be back next season? That’s one of many unanswered questions surrounding this team — but he may have helped his case in the finale.

JEANTY ON THE TOP PICK

2026 OPPONENTS REVEALED

With the season officially in the books, we now know the Raiders’ home and road opponents for next year. Check out the graphic above to see who’s coming to Allegiant Stadium — and to start mapping out those travel plans for the season ahead.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Black Monday is next, so buckle up. All signs point to the Raiders moving on from Pete Carroll, but as we’ve learned around here, anything can happen. We typically speak with the head coach on Mondays after the season, and last year we did get the chance to talk with Antonio Pierce before he was let go. This time around, we’ll be down at Raiders HQ for locker cleanout day, but we’re not currently scheduled to speak with Pete Carroll.

With that in mind, keep an eye out for the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast on Monday. As soon as there’s clarity on Pete’s future — or a decision is made — we’ll drop a podcast breaking down what comes next and who the Raiders could be looking at to lead the team into 2026 and beyond.

Catch ya next time,