Raiders inch closer to No. 1 pick in losing 'Tank Bowl' 34-10

LAS VEGAS — If you were among the announced crowd of 62,201 at Allegiant Stadium Sunday, you received a rally towel inscribed “Just Win Baby.”

Problem was, who were the fans that received the towels supposed to root for to win?

The 2-13 Raiders and the 2-13 New York Giants are vying for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. To get there, one of them needed to lose this game, then lose the next week in order to have the worst record in the league.

If you were a fan of either team, you were hoping they’d find a way to deliver and come up short. For the fans, it’s about the future, not the present.

Welcome to the “Tank Bowl,” which the Raiders won by losing 34-10. Las Vegas, which has dropped 10 straight games,  still has one hurdle left to stumble over, that being next Sunday at home against Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City. Lose to the Chiefs and the Raiders will own the first pick and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza can start house-hunting in Henderson. I’m sure he can find something in the Seven Hills neighborhood near the Raiders’ headquarters.

“We haven’t found a way to win,” a dejected Pete Carroll said afterwards. “I had no place in my mind to see this.”

The Raiders tried to do their part prior to kickoff, putting Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers, their two best players, on ice for the remainder of the season, while also sitting safety Jeremy Chinn. The Giants also sat some of their regulars as well, including a couple of starting offensive linemen.

That left it up to those who did suit up to show they weren’t tanking. That includes the coaches, Carroll and Mike Kafka, both of whose futures remain uncertain.

“All those guys were hurt,” Carroll said. “We tried to pick it up for Max. Everyone tried. We knew we’d be different. We also knew there’d be a void there. There’s not much we can do to re-create that football player.

“Maxx was heartbroken he couldn’t play. I don’t blame him one bit for being upset. It breaks my heart that he can’t finish the season (on the field)."

So with the league office carefully observing every snap, the NFL’s two worst teams went at it. And with Raider fans cheering on the Giants and Giants fans pulling for the Raiders, it created as weird an atmosphere at a sporting event as you’ll ever see.

As for the players, they ignored it. After all, guys are playing for their futures and no team is going to want to keep someone who was accused of not trying and giving 100 percent.

Certainly the Giants weren’t taking a dive. Particularly their rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who played as if this were a playoff game and performed admirably in victory. Dart threw for 207 yards and ran for a pair of scores — a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a 2-yard run in the fourth. It certainly didn’t hurt Dart in not having to deal with Crosby.

And after Tyler Lockett scored late in the third quarter, the special teams responded as Deonte Banks took the kickoff back 95 yards for a TD to answer the Lockett score.

As for his Raiders counterpart, Geno Smith had a typical performance, some good, some bad and not enough positive plays when he needed to make them. He was booed when introduced with the other offensive starters and he would finish with 176 yards, two interceptions and a TD on 20-of-28 passing before he got clobbered after throwing his second interception early in the fourth quarter and was helped off the field with an injured ankle. Kenny Pickett finished up as Smith went to the Raiders’ locker room.

Carroll said after the game that Smith has a high-ankle sprain. It’s possible we’ve seen the last of Geno in a Raiders uniform. And if that’s the case, it will be hailed as an epic failure on Carroll’s part believing he could turn back the clock to when his quarterback was successful while both were in Seattle. He is the NFL’s leader in interceptions thrown with 17 and quarterback sacks taken with 55.

So with things remaining in disarray, the Raiders get one last chance to try and cleanse themselves of the stench of losing. And while there’e no Mahomes to deal with, there’s still the Chiefs’ winning pedigree, a defense run by Steve Spagnulo which will be looking to make life difficult for whoever is playing quarterback for Las Vegas and a fan base that will be pulling for the visitors to do to the Raiders what the Giants did on Sunday.

As for Carroll, his fate may very well be sealed at this point. But he believes he still has ownership’s support.

Does he? We still haven’t heard a word from general manager John Spytek. Owner Mark Davis has been quiet as well. And the only talking Tom Brady is doing is on Fox’s NFL games that he works.

We’ll likely get some clarity on everything in a week when this disastrous season reaches its conclusion. In the meantime, we’re about to see the unimaginable happen, that being Raider Nation joining the Chiefs Kingdom for a day inside Allegiant Stadium next Sunday. But maybe pass on handing out those “Just Win Baby” towels.