Oakland Raiders Looking at Being Homeless After Walking Away from City’s 2019 Lease Talks

Only the Oakland Raiders could produce this type of drama about where the team will play their home games next year. Team officials countered the city’s lawsuit by pulling out of talks to stay in the city one more year before they move to their new home of Las Vegas.

Internet sportsbook sportsbettingdime.com has put odds on where the team will end up next season. Returning to the Oakland Coliseum is the slight favorite at +150, but the Los Angeles Chargers former home, San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, is next at 2/1. Levi Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers is at +350, with the Alamodome in San Antonio at +450, and Sam Boyd Stadium, where the University of Nevada Las Vegas football teams plays, is at 6/1.

The Raiders could be playing their last home game Christmas Eve when they host the Denver Broncos. Neither team is going to the playoffs, and this would otherwise be a meaningless contest, sans the fact it may be the team’s Bay Area finale.

Coach Jon Gruden said he doesn’t want to think about the possibility that Monday could be the team’s last game in Oakland.

“It’s a real football stadium,” Gruden said, via ESPN.com. “It’s dirt, grass, it’s got tradition. It’s where some of the best games in the history of football have been played. It’s where some of the best players in the history of the world have played football games.”

The team has to tell the league what their plans are by February so the 2019 schedule can be finalized.

Broncos Trying to Avoid Dubious Mark

The Raiders opponent on Monday is attempting to avoid back-to-back losing seasons since 1971-1972. Denver is currently at 6-8 and needs to defeat Oakland and the Los Angeles Chargers to finish at .500.

Coach Vance Joseph has a little extra motivation as well. It is rumored that he may be let go after the season if he produces the second consecutive losing record.

“These next two games are important for us to finish the right way,” Joseph told reporters. “That part is very important to me. It’s about winning. That’s what it’s about. It’s not about losing, it’s about winning. That’s very important to our football team and our coaches.”

New Vikings Offensive Coordinator a Hit

When Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer fired offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, he wasn’t sure how his replacement would do, so he said he would take a more active role in that side of the ball.

The first directive was to tell former quarterbacks coach turned OC Kevin Stefanski to run the ball more. Stefanski listened and the Vikings racked up 220 yards on the ground in their rout of Miami last Sunday.

“I think Kevin (Stefanski) was as prepared as anyone for this opportunity,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “He has been here the longest out of anyone on offense. He’s a guy that has worked under many different offensive coordinators, he saw what they did well, maybe what they did not do as well, and what he would do once it was his turn. I think you saw that throughout the week with little changes. He didn’t come in and overhaul everything.”