The Las Vegas Raiders posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a 25-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
After ending a 10-game losing streak in Week 16 with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Raiders took a second quarter lead and shut the Saints out in the second half to earn their fourth win of the season.
Rookie tight end Brock Bowers led the Raiders in receiving with seven catches for 77 yards, and reset several records throughout the contest. Las Vegas’ 2024 first-round pick set the NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in a single season late in the first half, and most receptions by a rookie in a single season in the second. Bowers also set Raiders single-season records for most receiving yards by a rookie and most receptions during Sunday’s game.
Las Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns in the game, including a score to Jakobi Meyers in the final minute of the second quarter that gave the Raiders the lead for good, and another to Tre Tucker in the fourth that extended the lead to 15 points.
Running back Ameer Abdullah added a career-best 115 rushing yards on 20 carries and Daniel Carlson had four field goals.
New Orleans’ only touchdown in the game was Spencer Rattler’s 30-yard pass to Foster Moreau on the first play of the second quarter, which gave the Saints their only lead of the afternoon.
The Raiders are now 4-12 with one regular-season game to play, while the Saints drop to 5-11. Las Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18, while New Orleans travels to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
MOST RECEIVING YARDS IN A SEASON BY A ROOKIE TIGHT END❕#BrockForOROY | @brockbowers17 pic.twitter.com/kQnTV85uUZ
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 29, 2024
Record-setting day for Bowers
Bowers sure stockpiles records for a guy who doesn’t care about them. On Sunday, after breaking both the rookie records for yards and receptions, Bowers set the Raiders record for most receptions in a single season, passing Darren Waller (who had 107 in 2020).
The rookie tight end needed 10 yards to top Mike Ditka for the rookie record and got that one early. He also needed five catches to top Puka Nacua’s mark of 105, and he got that one in the third quarter. Bowers finished with seven catches for 77 yards on the day. — Vic Tafur, Raiders beat writer
Las Vegas defense holds New Orleans to 10 points
The Raiders’ defense was facing a shorthanded Saints offense sans starting quarterback Derek Carr, lead running back Alvin Kamara and No. 1 receiver Chris Olave. They gave up some plays early, but ultimately settled in and limited New Orleans to just 10 points. Linebacker Robert Spillane led the way with eight tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. It marked the fourth time in the last five games that the Raiders’ defense held its opponent to fewer than 20 points. — Tashan Reed, Raiders beat writer
Abdullah leads Raiders in rushing with career performance
Abdullah has never run for 100 yards in his 10-year career, and started off this season as the Raiders No. 3 running back. He even got bypassed by practice squader Sincere McCormick when Alexander Matttison and Zamir White were injured.
But a patient runner also waits to hit his mark, and Abdullah ran for 115 yards on 20 carries to lead the Raiders to a win over the Saints in New Orleans. Abdullah also had three catches for 32 yards as the Raiders won their second-straight game after losing 10 in a row. — Tafur
2024 season can’t end fast enough for Saints
After watching the Saints lay down in Green Bay in Week 16, they left the door wide open for the trend to continue against the Raiders. Against the Packers, the Saints offense looked inept and the defense offered no resistance. Against the Raiders, an obviously inferior team to Green Bay, the Saints offense looked inept (outside one trick play for a touchdown) and the defense offered little resistance.
Next week’s season finale against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay might be 50-0. The Bucs are fighting for their playoff lives and scorched the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. It’s apparent the Saints players are counting down the minutes until the end of the most miserable season for the franchise since 2005.
If you’re the Saints, you have to re-evaluate everything from top to bottom this offseason as there’s no question that interim coach Darren Rizzi shouldn’t be retained. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer
Saints shut out in second half
Rattler was surprisingly efficient in the first half, completing 11 of 13 passes for 146 yards and even leading a late field-goal drive. But the 13-10 deficit was the high point for the Saints. Rattler was 3-of-13 for the next quarter and a half for 20 yards as the Raiders pulled away.
Part of the problem was that Rattler was the Saints’ leading rusher, with 46 yards. Kendre Miller had three carries before getting hurt, and Saints RBs finished with 10 carries for 35 yards. — Tafur
Required reading
(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
