Raiders’ Pete Carroll Issues Blunt Words to Broncos’ Sean Payton
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(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
After an overtime loss in Week 9 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders have a quick turnaround as they’ll face the Denver Broncos on “Thursday Night Football” to start Week 10.
Moreover, the matchup with the Broncos will see Raiders head coach Pete Carroll face a familiar face in Sean Payton, whom he faced several times in the NFC when the Denver head coach was with the New Orleans Saints.
While the playoffs look like an afterthought for the 2-6 Raiders, the Broncos sit atop the AFC West at 7-2. Denver will be the favorite in this contest, but when it comes to divisional games, the records of the two teams really don’t matter, which is what the Silver and Black should be telling itself.
Ahead of the game on November 6, Carroll was asked about what makes facing Payton a challenging task.
“He’s always been a really well-schooled group that he coaches,” Carroll told reporters on November 3
“When you played against him, they always had a real good conscience about running the football. So he’s got a really good mix. We’ve seen him for years utilize his personnel in unique ways that fit their style. There’s nothing about his game that isn’t on point. He’s smart, he’s aggressive, he’s consistent. They take care of the football. They’ve been doing that for a long time. That’s what’s made him consistently successful, I think.”
Brock Bowers Talks Raiders Loss to Jaguars
If the Raiders want a bounce-back win and upset the Broncos, one player who will need to replicate his Week 9 performance will be Brock Bowers. The Las Vegas tight end recorded 12 receptions for 127 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Although Bowers’s performance was outstanding, he didn’t hold back on how it felt to return to the field in a Raiders defeat.
“It’s not a great feeling,” Bowers said postgame (h/t
Geno Smith Is Happy to Have His Favorite Target Back
With Bowers back for the Raiders, quarterback Geno Smith once again had a reliable option over the middle, to
“He’s one of the best players on our team, one of the best players in the NFL,” Geno Smith said postgame (h/t Raiders.com). “He just makes my job so easy; he does everything
“A lot of those catches a lot of guys don’t make. You can just see his impact on the game when he’s out there. He’s such a dynamic player. At one point, they were double-teaming him, triple-teaming him trying to stop him and that just opens the field for the rest of the guys.”
Giants Veteran Floated as Potential Trade Target for Vikings
NFL teams are in the final stage of what they want to do at the trade deadline, and that includes the Minnesota Vikings. At 4-4, Kevin O’Connell and his team are at the bottom of the NFC North, but remain in the conference’s playoff picture.
After beating the Detroit Lions in Week 9, the Vikings have a puncher’s chance not just to secure an NFC Wildcard spot, but possibly win the division if the situation goes their way. Moreover, Minnesota might not need to make a splashy move, but one that improves its depth.
With the season-ending injury to Carson Wentz, the Vikings don’t have a reliable veteran quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy. If the young player struggles or an injury should arise, there’s not much behind him.
As a result, CBS Sports NFL analyst Ran Carthon believes that New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson would be an ideal last-minute target for Minnesota to have as insurance behind McCarthy.
“I like Russ here,” Carthon said on the October 3 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “We’ve heard potentially Kurt Cousins. I don’t see that happening because I don’t see the Vikings giving up a high pick and having the Falcons pay down that contract, and I just don’t see the Vikings taking on that number.
“But adding a guy like Russell Wilson, if you think about Russell Wilson when he was at his best, he had a strong defense and weapons all around him. I think going to a team like Minnesota, not as a starter, but as a quality backup for them, they’re sitting at 4-4 right now.”
Would Russell Wilson Want to Go to Minnesota?
If Wilson were to head to the Vikings, he’d be in a similar situation as he’s currently in with the Giants, serving as a backup for a young quarterback. Nonetheless, Carthon sees this as an ideal fit for Wilson because, as of now, McCarthy hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
“[The Vikings are] not out of it in the division, and they’re not out of it in the wild card,” Carthon added. “I think if something were to happen with J.J. McCarthy because he hadn’t been able to stay healthy, having a veteran like Russell Wilson there could right the ship and keep them in contention come January…
“[And] to have the ability to throw to Justin Jefferson and [Jordan] Addison and [T.J. Hockenson] and be able to play with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. Those are all guys that are playing really good football at this point. And that would give him much better weapons than, I’ll say, what the Giants currently have.”
The Vikings Did Add a Veteran QB
While Wilson would be an interesting name to bring to the Vikings, Minnesota did make a move to bolster its depth at quarterback. On October 29, the team announced that they signed John Wolford to their practice squad.
Wolford played in seven NFL games and started four from 2020 to 2022, including a 2020 start with the Los Angeles Rams when O’Connell served as his offensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings feel that having rookie Max Brosmer and Wolford is enough depth behind McCarthy.
