Raiders rewind: Veteran’s career game supported by thriving youngsters

The Raiders went into New Orleans on Sunday and put together one of their best performances of the season.

The team, one week after snapping a 10-game losing streak at home against Jacksonville, defeated the Saints 25-10 at Caesars Superdome.

The win gave the Raiders (4-12) their first winning streak of the season. It’s the first time they’ve won consecutive games since Dec. 14 and Christmas Day in 2023.

Here’s a closer look at Sunday’s win over the Saints (5-11):

Putting it into perspective

The obvious question for the Raiders is why did it take them so long to look competent this year. It also leads one to wonder whether coach Antonio Pierce is thinking about what might have been if the team had figured things out sooner.

He insists he isn’t dwelling on that.

“I’m just trying to stay present,” Pierce said Monday. “Can’t live in the past. Can’t worry about the future.”

Obviously, Pierce’s future with the Raiders is clouded in uncertainty. So are the team’s plans at quarterback now that it’s projected to hold the eighth pick in April’s draft.

The Raiders also shouldn’t get too carried away with their winning streak. They were favored in both games and the Jaguars and Saints were missing their starting quarterbacks.

Star of the game

What a game for Ameer Abdullah.

The veteran running back gained more than 100 yards on the ground for the first time in his 10-year career.

Abdullah, 31, finished with 115 yards on 20 carries. His longest rush of the day was for 17 yards, so he just consistently churned out yards and moved the chains.

He also had 32 receiving yards on three catches.

Abdullah is one of the most popular players in the Raiders’ locker room and patiently waited a long time for the kind of opportunity he got Sunday.

It was a nice moment for him, and also the kind of performance a team can rally around.

Play of the game

Quarterback Aidan O’Connell sealed the Raiders’ victory with an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter.

The offensive line gave O’Connell plenty of time on the play. When the pocket did start to break down, he created a little space with a quick step to his left.

Tucker ran an out-and-up on the sideline and then backpedaled with O’Connell on the move. O’Connell threw the ball to the back corner of the end zone and Tucker managed to haul it in while keeping his feet inbounds.

It was the kind of play that required everyone to be on the same page once things went off script. The fact that the Raiders were is a good sign for the offense.

Drive of the game

The Raiders had one of their best drives of the season in the second quarter Sunday.

They got the ball at their own 5-yard line with 4:21 to play before halftime. Things didn’t start out well, as a holding call on tight end Michael Mayer backed the team up to the 3.

O’Connell threw an incompletion the next play, but Abdullah sparked the offense with a 17-yard run. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers followed that up with a 13-yard reception, then wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught a 29-yard pass the first play after the two-minute warning.

A 17-yard reception by Bowers and a 13-yard run by Abdullah brought the Raiders to the Saints 3-yard line. O’Connell then hit Meyers for a touchdown and a 13-7 lead.

The Raiders covered 95 yards in nine plays on the drive and needed just 3:24 to score.

What were they thinking?

The Raiders didn’t do anything too egregious in this game. The worst mistakes were made by New Orleans rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who threw two interceptions.

One questionable decision came midway through the third quarter. The Raiders ran the ball on a third-and-5 from the Saints 37-yard line and Abdullah gained only a yard.

It felt like a spot where the team should only run the ball if it was planning on also going for it on fourth down. Instead, the Raiders sent kicker Daniel Carlson out for a 54-yard field goal attempt.

The kick was good and extended the team’s lead to 16-10. But it seemed like a conservative call that could have backfired if New Orleans responded with a touchdown.

Observations

■ The Raiders seem to be making a concerted effort to get Bowers involved early. Interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner designed plays for Bowers on each of the team’s first two offensive snaps.

■ The Raiders’ young offensive linemen don’t appear to be hitting any sort of rookie wall. Second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson was sensational in his second straight game at left guard while filling in for the injured Jordan Meredith. Third-round pick DJ Glaze has also had two excellent games in a row at right tackle. It’s no surprise the Raiders had a season-high 156 rushing yards Sunday with the two playing so well.

■ Rookie safety Thomas Harper had an interception, three tackles and a half sack in just 24 snaps against the Saints. He always seemed to be around the ball on tape.

Looking ahead

The Raiders have one final game on their schedule, a meeting with the playoff-bound Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.

It remains to be seen how relevant the game will be for Los Angeles (10-6).

The Chargers will be locked into the No. 6 seed if the Steelers beat the Bengals on Saturday. Los Angeles could decide to rest some of its top players if that ends up being the case.

A Pittsburgh loss, however, would open the door for the Chargers to get the No. 5 seed. That would mean a first-round game at No. 4 Houston instead of No. 3 Baltimore, so Los Angeles would have some motivation to win.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.