Giants’ win boosts quest for No. 1 pick
Difficult schedule remains for franchise
ALAMEDA, Calif. — A sure sign a season went astray is when, in mid-november, the conversation is not about postseason contention or home-field advantage but where in the top five the franchise could select in the forthcoming draft.
The Raiders find themselves in this position.
All things considered, it’s looking good.
The club would possess the No. 1 overall draft pick on April 25 if the regular season ended today. It
Tuesday.
UMC Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland both hosted the Raiders. Club representatives interacted with patients and their families, presenting remote-controlled toy cars and presenting a $5,000 check to the hospitals.
Nine Raiders players spent a portion of their off-day Tuesday at the Oakland site: defensive tackle Mo Hurst Jr., guard Gabe Jackson, linebacker Tahir Whitehead, linebacker Kyle Wilber, fullback Keith Smith, linebacker Marquel Lee, defensive end Shilique Calhoun, nose tackle Justin Ellis and long snapper Andrew Depaola.
Notable
Raiders broadcaster Brent Musburger apologized “if you were offended” during Sunday’s game broadcast for a tweet he sent last week, according to ESPN. In it, Musburger commented on an image of President Donald Trump speaking at a rally, quipping that several men in the background wearing Native American head dresses were U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s “relatives.” Warren has said part of her heritage includes being Native American. Musburger reportedly added in reference to the tweet : “I was just having fun.” A team spokesman declined comment Tuesday.
Defensive end Kony Ealy was waived Tuesday. Initially signed last week, he was a healthy scratch in his lone game with the team.
Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Gehlkennfl on Twitter. Review-journal NFL reporter Gilbert Manzano’s weekly rankings, with last week’s ranking in parentheses:
The Saints hung 51 points on the road against a Bengals team with postseason aspirations. New Orleans is in a scary good rhythm.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs got the job done versus the Cardinals and now prepare for a showdown with the Rams.
The Rams survived a second scare from the Seahawks. But they lost wide receiver Cooper Kupp for the rest of the year because of a torn ACL.
The Le’veon Bell saga is over and the Steelers are doing just fine without him. Pittsburgh has won five straight games.
The Chargers took a hit from linebacker Denzel Perryman’s season-ending knee injury. On the bright side, Joey Bosa could return this week.
If the Patriots could avoid a former Bill Belichick disciple they’ll be just fine. The Patriots’ two ugliest losses this season have come against Matt Patricia’s Lions and Mike Vrabel’s Titans.
Carolina got crushed by the Steelers on “Thursday Night Football.” On a side note, can the NFL get rid of the short week games? The road teams don’t stand a chance.
The Vikings return from a bye week for an NFC North showdown against the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”
Behind Mitchell Trubisky’s big day, the Bears dismantled the Lions in Week 10.
The Texans return from a bye to play the Redskins on the road.
Green Bay broke its two-game losing streak with a win versus the Dolphins.
The NFC Eastleading Redskins forced four turnovers against the Buccaneers.
After giving up a 50-burger to the Saints, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis hired Hue Jackson to join his staff. Yeah, that will solve everything.
The Titans might be serious AFC South contenders after an upset victory over the Patriots.
The Super Bowl hangover is real for the Eagles, and it might get worse with the Saints next on the schedule.
Atlanta’s threegame winning streak was snapped versus the lowly Browns.
The Ravens return from a bye week to host the Bengals.
Seattle gained 273 rushing yards against the Rams but still came up short.
The Colts haven’t allowed a sack in the past four games. Indy’s offensive line has come a long way.
Dallas remains in the playoff hunt after a must-win against the Eagles.
The injurydepleted Dolphins didn’t stand a chance against Aaron Rodgers last week.
What happened to the Jaguars’ defense? They got crushed by the Colts.
Baker Mayfield woke up feeling dangerous and that led to a win versus the Falcons.
Tampa Bay recorded 501 yards of offense and somehow only managed three points against the Redskins.
For the second straight week, the Lions were embarrassed by a division rival.
The Broncos return from a bye week to face the Chargers on the road.
Eli Manning turned back the clock on his game-winning drive versus the 49ers.
Matt Barkley played like he was back in college at Southern California during the Bills’ romp of the Jets.
Slowly the Cardinals are showing signs of progress. They kept it close against the mighty Chiefs.
Nick Mullens makes prime-time games fun, but he came up short versus the Giants.
Any day now the Jets will fire Todd Bowles. Or not. It doesn’t matter in this lost season.
The Raiders currently have the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Tank supporters rejoice.