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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Stroll the main concourse at Allegiant Stadium before the New York Giants – Las Vegas Raiders game Sunday and you notice there are a lot of men wearing Giants number 56 jerseys with “Taylor” on the back.
The legacy of Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is personified in these many football fans who are preparing to watch the Giants and Raiders play in a matchup of teams with identical feeble won-loss records.
Each team has won two of its 15 games in 2025.
There’s a sluggish feel to the game as both teams punted on their first possessions after the Raiders tabbed a radio host, John Tournour who goes by his radio name, “JT the Brick,” to light the Al Davis torch on the north end of the five-year-old domed stadium with 62,000 fixed seats.
The Raiders are adrift as a sports team and brand here in Las Vegas.
The coaches, general managers, quarterbacks and players have come and gone. Under owner Mark Davis here in Las Vegas, the Raiders look rudderless. They started with a back-to-the-future approach with former head coach Jon Gruden. Then they tried to be the New England Patriots West. Then a new head coach, Antonio Pierce, tried to rekindle Raiders pride of decades past. Now, the Raiders tried to be the Seattle Seahawks of the desert in 2025.
The only identity the Las Vegas Raiders have is that of a losing team and a lost franchise.
The Raiders tried to be the Patriots when Davis hired former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as head coach and former Patriots player personnel director Dave Ziegler as GM in 2022. Even former Patriots great Tom Brady bought a share of the Raiders. Brady is also a minority owner in Davis’ other Las Vegas sports property, the WNBA Las Vegas Aces.
And after the Raiders piled up more losses and enlisted demonstrative Pierce as head coach, they tried to become the Seahawks by hiring former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who, in turn, brought in former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and even his son, Brennan, as the Raiders offensive line coach.
And here we are. The Las Vegas Raiders/Patriots/Seahawks are trailing the Giants, 7-0, in the first half after Smith tossed yet another interception. It’s his 16th this season.
After the Raiders kicker, Daniel Carlson, booted a field goal, the Giants quarterback, Jaxson Dart, ran in for a touchdown.
The Giants were leading, 14-3, late in the second quarter. They tacked on a field goal before the half ended and took a 17-3 lead into the locker room after the first 30 minutes.
The coaches, general managers, quarterbacks and players have come and gone. Under owner Mark Davis here in Las Vegas, the Raiders look rudderless. They started with a back-to-the-future approach with former head coach Jon Gruden. Then they tried to be the New England Patriots West. Then a new head coach, Antonio Pierce, tried to rekindle Raiders pride of decades past. Now, the Raiders tried to be the Seattle Seahawks of the desert in 2025.
Who are the Raiders?
They were an NFL franchise that once had the league’s most defined identity under Al Davis who instilled a sense of bravado into a franchise peppered with renegade players, talented misfits and colorful personalities back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Should they start from scratch by trading their star edge rusher, Maxx Crosby, for draft choices? And if a rebuild is launched, should Carroll, the league’s oldest coach at 74, be the man to lead the start over?
The Giants polished off the Raiders in the second half as New York scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and Smith threw another interception, his NFL-leading 17th interception.
Final: Giants 34 Raiders 10.
The Raiders, with their second straight season with a ten-game losing streak, will have the NFL’s number one overall draft pick if they lose to the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium next weekend.
The Raiders’ move to Las Vegas has been financially lucrative to Davis. His Raiders franchise is valued in the $8 billion range and the stadium that the Raiders run generates millions of dollars from non-football events like concerts and soccer games. (The Raiders stadium, however, does not have enough space inside to accommodate a sanctioned World Cup game.)
Who are the Raiders? This we know: A losing team that will set a franchise record for season losses if the Raiders lose to the Chiefs Sunday.
PSA