Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) gets sacked during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.
Published Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Updated Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 | 5:05 p.m.
WEEK 14
• Who: Vikings (6-6) at Raiders (5-7)
• When:1:05 p.m.
• Where: Allegiant Stadium
• TV: Fox
• Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920 AM, KOMP 92.3 FM
• Betting line: Vikings -3, over/under: 40.3
The Raiders’ Week 14 game at Allegiant Stadium was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
In one of the lowest-scoring contests in NFL history, Las Vegas fell to Minnesota 3-0 on a 36-yard game-winning field goal from visiting kicker Greg Joseph inside the final two minutes.
The game was only the seventh time since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 that only three points were scored over a full 60 minutes. It was the first such contest since November 26 2007 when the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Miami Dolphins amid nasty weather at Heinz Field on Monday Night Football.
But there was no nasty weather here in the indoor $2 billion venue; just bad football.
The Raiders got the ball back after Joseph’s field goal but quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw an interception to Ivan Pace Jr on the first play. Instead of attempting another field goal after not gaining any yardage afterwards, Minnesota pooch-punted to give Las Vegas one last chance with eight seconds left at its own 14-yard line.
The ensuing lateral play failed, ensuring the Raiders fell to 5-8 on the season while the Vikings improved to 7-6.
O’Connell completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 170 yards while fans spent the latter portion of the game wondering if the rookie would be benched to give former starter Jimmy Garoppolo a shot. Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce decided against that route, and it may have been the difference in the game.
Vikings counterpart Kevin O’Connell decided to make a switch and inserted former Raider Nick Mullens in place of starter Josh Dobbs in the fourth quarter. It paid off with Mullens leading the game-winning drive and finishing with 83 yards on 9-for-13 attempts.
Dobbs completed 10 of 23 attempts for 63 yards.
Injuries were also aplenty in the game for both sides, and it’s particularly problematic for the Raiders with a Thursday Night Football game against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers scheduled next.
Most notably, running back Josh Jacobs limped to the locker room in the fourth quarter and did not return. Jacobs totaled only 50 combined running and receiving yards on 15 touches.
Raider receiver Hunter Renfrow made the biggest play of the game on a 38-yard completion in the third quarter, but then lost a fumble a few plays later deep in Vikings’ territory. That would be Las Vegas’ only real chance to score, locking up what would go down as the lowest-scoring indoor game in NFL history.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more updates and read below for updates from throughout the game and a preview.
It’s still scoreless at halftime at Allegiant Stadium.
The Vikings have at least threatened twice by getting onto the Raiders’ side of the field but the defense has bore down from there. Maxx Crosby has a pair of sacks — including one for a loss of 12 that forced a punt most recently — and the Raiders have two others.
They just need their offense to get something going. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell sits with 74 yards on 11-for-17 passing and hasn’t been able to throw downfield at all.
Vikings miss field goal
An already ugly game just got uglier.
Vikings kicker Greg Joseph missed a 49-yard field goal attempt to the right to keep the score at Allegiant Stadium 0-0.
Star players are now hurt too.
Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson took a big shot from Raiders safety Marcus Epps and is questionable to return with a chest injury. Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby went down, presumably because of his existing knee issues, and forced an injury timeout though he then returned a play later.
Crosby got pressure on Minnesota quarterback Josh Dobbs to force an incompletion and the eventual missed field-goal attempt.
The Raiders get the ball for the fourth time next.
Scoreless first quarter
No one scored in the first quarter of Vikings at Raiders.
Heck, no one even came close to scoring.
The ball hasn’t even crossed the 50-yard line yet through three-and-a-half possessions with Minnesota and Las Vegas so far having just punted the ball back and forth to each other.
The Raiders did pick up a pair of fourth-down conversions in short-yardage situations, first on an Aidan O’Connell sneak and then a Josh Jacobs dive. But penalties held them back and they punted shortly after.
Inactives released
Brandon Facyson is all set to make his season debut with the Raiders this afternoon against the Vikings at Allegiant Stadium.
The veteran cornerback, who was competing for a starting spot in training camp before going down with a leg injury, was not included on the just-released inactives report despite being listed as questionable to play after Friday’s practice.
Edge rusher Maxx Crosby — also questionable while recovering from a knee infection — was not surprisingly also ruled active as linebacker Kana’I Magua, who’s coming back from his own knee injury.
That doesn’t mean the Raiders will be at full strength as left tackle Kolton Miller will miss his third game of the season. Miller has a lingering shoulder issue despite having returned from it for the Raiders’ last game, a loss to the Chiefs in Week 12.
The Raiders’ inactives along with Miller are quarterback Brian Hoyer (who can play in an emergency role), defensive end Malik Reed, linebacker Amari Burney, tight end Jesper Horsted, defensive tackle Byron Young and defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera.
The cornerback rotation is a big question for Las Vegas heading into the game after it cut starter Marcus Peter last week. Seeing how Facyson is used and how he fits in will be one of the foremost things to watch early in the game.
PREGAME
Antonio Pierce faces a new challenge for the first time since taking over as the Raiders’ interim coach a month ago — sparking his team off a poor performance.
Las Vegas overperformed in its first three games under Pierce and started the fourth contest strong with a 14-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Raiders collapsed from there, getting outscored 31-3 over the final three quarters of a 31-17 loss.
It wasn’t for lack of effort, as Pierce has said repeatedly, but rather execution and the effects of a worn-out team. Help arrived on the latter part as the Raiders spent last week on a much-needed bye, allowing the players to heal and virtually everyone on the football side of the organization a chance to get away and clear their heads.
The time off was sorely needed for the team’s best player this year, edge rusher Maxx Crosby, as he played through a knee injury and infection against the Chiefs that had him hospitalized before the game. The Raiders returned to practice this week saying they were refreshed and ready to make a late season run, though it’s worth noting the Vikings are also sharing a similar message coming off their own bye week.
Favorable matchup: Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs vs. Raiders’ linebackers
Dobbs’ stint in Minnesota got off to a hot start a month ago following a trade from Arizona when he accounted for five touchdowns to lead back-to-back wins against Atlanta and New Orleans. It’s tailed off from there, though. The Vikings have since lost two straight, to the Broncos and Bears, with Dobbs having committed five turnovers. Dobbs is at his best when he’s mobile and can threaten with his feet as much as his arm. Denver and Chicago cut down on that by more aggressively employing spies on Dobbs, and it’s a strategy the Raiders should be able to replicate. The Raiders have given up a few chunk plays to passers on the ground over the course of the year, but they’re in the top half of the league in only giving up four yards per rushing attempt to quarterbacks overall. Some of the success is surely schedule-based but it’s also a credit to linebackers Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo. Spillane has excelled in all areas and sits behind only Crosby as the leader of the defense, while Deablo’s versatility makes him an ideal candidate to use as a spy on someone like Dobbs.
THEY SAID IT
“That will be our goal this week, our little rally cry. …We know we come out of the gates like bulls but we need to do that in the second half as well, and we have plans on how to do that.” — Pierce on the poor second half against the Chiefs and how the Raiders will fix it against the Vikings
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“Does it ever leave your mind? It never really escapes my mind too much. I’m a football coach, a football coach with no hobbies.”— Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham when asked how it was getting away from football during the bye week
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“We don’t really have time to talk at this point; it’s all about action. I’ve kind of been saying that the whole year, now we’re definitely aligned on that.” — Wide receiver Davante Adams on the Raiders’ sense of urgency
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“I was in a lot of pain but it is what it is. I train year-round to do this and give myself an opportunity to play 17 guaranteed games. And if I can go, I’m going to go.” — Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby on why he played despite not practicing all week and being listed as doubtful going into the Chiefs game
Problematic matchup: Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson vs. Raiders’ pass defense
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has missed the Vikings’ past seven games with a hamstring injury, but he’s fully participated in practice all week and is set to return against the Raiders. It’s a bad break for Las Vegas. The Raiders don’t have an ideal option to match up with the fast and physical 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver who’s emerged as one of the NFL’s top weapons. That’s not much of a knock, as Jefferson presents the same problem for most teams. But the Raiders are in flux at cornerback and now don’t have time for any learning curve. They released top cornerback Marcus Peters after the Chiefs loss. The veteran had played well in coverage all year for the Raiders but showed a continued lack of effort in tackling that goes against everything Pierce stands for as a coach. Pierce benched Peters in the second half against Kansas City and then cut him the next day. Jefferson used to occasionally line up in the slot, where Las Vegas is well-equipped with nickelback Nate Hobbs, but he’s predominantly been on the outside the past two seasons. The Raiders will need someone like undersized mainstay Amik Robertson, rookie Jakorian Bennett or recently acquired Jack Jones to step in for Peters permanently and prove their worth by living up to the tall task of slowing Jefferson.
Gamebreaker: Cornerback Brandon Facyson
There’s a sneaky fourth option who could potentially slow Jefferson. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound veteran cornerback may make his season debut after hurting his leg in training camp. Facyson was pushing for the starting spot opposite Peters in August before he went down with the injury that forced him to be carted off the practice field. It’s hard to tell if he can immediately regain that form in live game action, but he’s thrived in Las Vegas before. Facyson is in his second stint with the Raiders after emerging as a starter midway through the 2021 season when he had a career year as part of the franchise’s last playoff team. Pierce has spoken highly of Facyson and says the cornerback is ready “to roll.” Facyson spent last season in Indianapolis as a rotational cornerback, and that’s most likely the role he’ll fill for the rest of the year in Las Vegas. Expect to see a lot of different guys cycling into the defensive backfield starting against the Vikings, and Facyson’s No. 31 jersey just might be among them. The Raiders have designated him for a return so Facyson must be active in one of the next three games or be ruled out for the year.
Big Number: 47.6%
The Vikings blitz on 47.6% of their defensive snaps, the highest rate in the league. That may usually spell trouble with a rookie passer, but one of Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s greatest strengths has been his willingness to stand strong in the pocket regardless of the circumstances. He says he’s fully prepared to face the usual gameplan of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who goes all out to harass opposing quarterbacks. The Chiefs weren’t shy about blitzing O’Connell either, but he responded with the best performance of his professional career so far. O’Connell completed 23 of 33 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown in the loss while taking only one sack, and most importantly to Pierce, not committing any turnovers. The frequent blitzing of players like safety Harrison Smith and linebacker D.J. Wonnum tends to leave the Vikings vulnerable in the middle of the field in the passing game. Don’t be surprised if O’Connell builds on the rapport he’s shown with players like tight end Michael Mayer and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. Neither Renfrow nor Mayer has been a big factor this season but they’ve both been more involved since O’Connell took over.
Best Bet (9-3): T.J. Hockenson over 51.5 receiving yards
Betting on an opposing tight end to produce against the Raiders worked last game with the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, so why not go back to it again? Defending tight ends has been a problem area for the Raiders all year, and while Hockenson may not be on Kelce’s Hall of Fame level, he’s still one of the best in the NFL at the position. And he could get lost in the shuffle against Las Vegas, which figures to put a lot of attention on containing Dobbs and pestering Jefferson. Hockenson’s over/under was in the 60s in each of the Vikings’ past two games, and though he fell slightly short with 55 yards and 50 yards, respectively, this is too large of a drop in asking price. Hockenson finds space in matchups tougher than this one and should be Dobbs’ surest option in the passing game.
