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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
They know the pain of losing.
And they share the pain of losing.
The Raiders and Browns franchises were once National Football League organizations with sterling won-loss records.
Not much anymore.
The two franchises that squared off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas have piled up the losses in the past two decades but have one more quality in common.
Their fans are among the most loyal and devoted around the league in spite of the dismal records.
“We’re both a glutten for punishment,” said a Cleveland Browns fan sitting with three Browns buddies under a pop-up tent in Parking Lot C.
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During pregame warmups and pleasantries, Raiders owner Mark Davis was seen watching video on his phone.
LVSportsBiz.com will speculate that Davis was watching his Las Vegas Aces play the New York Liberty in the WNBA Semifinals Game 1 in Brooklyn Sunday at 12 noon Vegas time. The Aces trailed by ten points at halftime to the Liberty.
Davis told LVSportsBiz.com after the Aces knocked out Seattle in the first round in Las Vegas that he was going to stay back in Las Vegas to watch the Raiders instead of going to New York to watch the Aces play New York in Game 1 in the Best-of-5 semis.
“The Raiders need me,” Davis told LVSportsBiz.com last week.
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The Raiders held off the Browns, 20-16, after head coach Antonio Pierce’s “business decisions” comment in response to an LVSportsBiz question after last Sunday’s disappointing loss to Carolina made national headlines.
In today’s postgame presser, Pierce apologized for saying that some players made “business decisions” against the Carolina Panthers and the team will respond by also making “business decisions.” Pierce apologized for his comments being a distraction.
“It was a trying week,” Pierce told the media after today’s win that evened the Raiders’ record at two wins and two losses as the Silver & Black head to Denver for a battle against the Broncos next Sunday.
In response to an LVSportsBiz question about the Raiders’ running game, Pierce said he was pleased that Raiders runners like Zamir White and Alexander Mattison ran hard and began ripping off runs of more than ten yards. The Raiders ran for 152 yards, easily the most rushing yardage for a game this season. LVSportsBiz asked Pierce about the running game during the postgame presser:
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The Raiders’ inactives included their two stars — receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Maxx Crosby, plus tight end “Big” Mike Mayer, linebacker Divine Deablo and offensive lineman Thayer Munford.
Missing Crosby hurt as the Browns methodically moved the football 70 yards on 15 plays while chewing up nine minutes and 22 seconds to score a first quarter touchdown on a short pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson.
When Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II overthrew receiver DJ Turner on a third down and 16 yards to go for a first down, the barking sounds of Browns fans here at Allegiant Stadium were plainly heard.
The Raiders stadium — constructed thanks to $750 million in public dollars from Southern Nevada — had become a host venue for the other team’s fans.
There were lots of orange and brown under the dome this afternoon.
More barking near the end of the first quarter: Placekicker Dustin Hopkins booted a 56-yarder in the final minute of the first quarter as Cleveland enjoyed a 10-0 lead against the Silver & Black.
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Davis received some bad news shortly after 2 PM when the New York Liberty completed a Game 1 win over his Aces in Brooklyn, 87-77.
But the Raiders gave something for Davis to smile about when Raiders receiver Tre Tucker took a sweep into the end zone from three yards out and the Raiders trailed the Browns, 10-7.
Daniel Carlson nailed a 52-yarder and the Raiders tied the game at 10 apiece with only 2:52 left in the first half.
The teams went to the half with the game deadlocked at ten apiece.
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The Raiders slowly began to find their running game as Carlson kicked a 34-yard field goal and DJ Turner scored on an 18-yard TD run.
So, the team that was down, 10-0, after one quarter led, 20-10, as the Raiders also registered a couple of sacks of Watson.
After three quarters, the Raiders led by ten points.
Pierce made national news for his comment after the Raiders’ embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers that some players made “business decisions” and the team would make business decisions in response.
This week against Cleveland, the Raiders players showed more heart and grit than last week. Pierce was happy with the team’s efforts. Here was the LVSportsBiz question:
The Raiders did give away six points to Cleveland when running back White fumbled the ball on a run and the Browns’ Rodney McLeod scooped the ball at the 25-yard line and ran it into the end zone. Hopkins missed the point after try and the Raiders led, 20-16, 15 seconds in the final quarter.
The Raiders held off Cleveland in the final minute after the Browns reached the 10-yard line of Las Vegas.
So, Davis had a split decision: After the lost Aces, the Raiders walked off the field with a 20-16 win.