Extra Points is a collection of my random thoughts around the NFL. If you have a comment or any “extra points” of your own, feel free to reply or contact me at JLSports24 on X.
Raiders Close to Another High-Profile Head Coach
The Las Vegas Raiders are once again searching for a Head Coach and are once again tied to one of the hottest candidates.
After the 2017 season, Raiders owner Mark Davis fired Head Coach Jack Del Rio, despite him being the only Raiders Head Coach to post a winning record (25-23) since 2001. Although the Raiders finished 6-10 in 2017, they made the playoffs in 2016 for the first time in 14 years under Del Rio.
Their last playoff appearance was in 2002 when they lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and another recently fired Raiders Head Coach, Jon Gruden. Well, Mark Davis wanted to make it right and lured the highly sought-after Super Bowl-winning coach out of the broadcast booth and back to the Raiders sideline after 9 years away from coaching. We all know how that ended. After a 22-31 record and some highly questionable emails, Gruden was reluctantly fired by Davis.
Davis followed up the Gruden firing by pursuing Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels. After his failed first attempt as a Head Coach in Denver, McDaniels resumed his old post as Patriots OC, a post he would hold for 10 years resulting in 3 Super Bowl Championships. McDaniels lasted less than 2 full seasons with the Raiders and compiled a 9-16 record before being fired mid-season.
Mark Davis is at it again, pursuing the hottest Head Coach candidate on the market. But this time, he has help. New partial owner Tom Brady is involved in the search and they appear to have their sights set on Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson.
Johnson has been a hot name through the last several hiring cycles but turned down job offers to remain in Detroit to pursue “unfinished business.” The Raiders’ ability to somehow land high-profile head coaches, paired with Tom Brady’s now-minority ownership, makes it almost certain that Johnson should come on board.
Hopefully, Brady can assert some patience and stability to the Raiders organization, which hasn’t had a Head Coach for the last three full seasons in over twenty years. Ben Johnson surely knows the Raiders’ history and the risks of accepting an offer to be the leader of the black hole.
Commanders are Lucky AND Good
On Sunday night, the Washington Commanders finally got over the hump and won their first playoff game since 2005. They defeated the NFC South Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a tight game that came down to the last second, a few centimeters, and a lucky bounce.
Zane Gonzalez‘s game-winning field goal barely made it through the uprights with a little help from the goalpost and some luck.
Many claim it’s better to be lucky than good, but you need both in the NFL. I wrote earlier this season about how the bounces are finally going the Commanders’ way after the Hail Mary victory over the Bears. Just look at the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs – their luck is so strong that it is more often referred to as “black magic”.
Each of the Commanders’ last four Head Coaches has led them to the playoffs but were all one-and-done until 2025. They have finally won a playoff game, and it just feels different this time. New Owner Josh Harris, coach Dan Quinn, and quarterback Jayden Daniels have firmly led the Commanders out of the dark days of the Snyder era. Washington’s future has never been brighter as they look to continue their newfound playoff success (and lucky bounces).