| Team: | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Record: | 8–9 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC West |
| Coach: | Josh McDaniels (fired October 31, 3–5 record) Antonio Pierce (interim, 5–4 record) |
| Owner: | Mark Davis |
| Stadium: | Allegiant Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | DE Maxx Crosby P A. J. Cole III |
| Ap All-Pros: | P A. J. Cole III (1st team) DE Maxx Crosby (2nd team) |
| Uniform: | File:Raiders uniform update 1-03-2017.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Raiders seasons |
| General Manager: | Dave Ziegler (fired October 31) Champ Kelly (interim) |
The 2023 season was the Las Vegas Raiders' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 64th overall, their fourth in Las Vegas, and their second and final under the head coach/general manager tandem of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. On October 31, following a Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Raiders fired McDaniels and Ziegler.[1] The Raiders named linebackers coach Antonio Pierce interim head coach,[2] and assistant general manager Champ Kelly interim general manager.[3] Following the season, the team named Antonio Pierce the full-time head coach after the team finished the season with a record of 5–4 under Pierce.[4]
The season was the first since 2013 without longtime quarterback Derek Carr on the opening day roster, as he was released on February 14.[5] The Raiders improved on their 6–11 record from the previous season following their Christmas Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention for the second consecutive year after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts the next week. They finished the season 8–9 to finish in second place in the division.
On December 14, 2023, the team set a franchise record for most points scored in a game, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 63–21.[6]
| Position | Player | Age | 2022 team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Jimmy Garoppolo[7] | 31 | San Francisco 49ers | |
| WR | Jakobi Meyers[8] | 26 | New England Patriots | |
| TE | Austin Hooper[9] | 28 | Tennessee Titans |
| March 15[10] | To Las Vegas Raiders 2023 compensatory 3rd round pick (Tre Tucker) | To New York Giants Darren Waller |
See main article: 2023 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | ||||||
| 2 | 35 | From Indianapolis | ||||
| 3 | 70 | |||||
| 100 | From Kansas City via NY Giants | |||||
| 4 | 104 | From Houston | ||||
| 135 | From New England | |||||
| 5 | 170 | Compensatory pick | ||||
| 6 | 184 | Traded to the New England Patriots | ||||
| 203 | From NY Giants | |||||
| 7 | 231 | From New England | ||||
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Agoha | DL | N/A* | [12] |
| McClendon Curtis | G | Chattanooga | |
| Jaydon Grant | S | Oregon State | |
| Azizi Hearn | CB | UCLA | |
| Brock Martin | DE | Oklahoma State | |
| Jordan Perryman | CB | Washington | |
| Adam Plant | DE | UNLV | |
| John Shenker | TE | Auburn | |
| George Tarlas | DE | Boise State | |
| Drake Thomas | LB | NC State | |
| Dalton Wagner | T | Arkansas | |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 13 | San Francisco 49ers | W 34–7 | 1–0 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 34–17 | 2–0 | SoFi Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 16–31 | 2–1 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | at Denver Broncos | W 17–16 | 1–0 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap | |
| 2 | September 17 | at Buffalo Bills | L 10–38 | 1–1 | Highmark Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 18–23 | 1–2 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 1 | at Los Angeles Chargers | L 17–24 | 1–3 | SoFi Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers | W 17–13 | 2–3 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 15 | New England Patriots | W 21–17 | 3–3 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 22 | at Chicago Bears | L 12–30 | 3–4 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 8 | at Detroit Lions | L 14–26 | 3–5 | Ford Field | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 5 | New York Giants | W 30–6 | 4–5 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 12 | New York Jets | W 16–12 | 5–5 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 19 | at Miami Dolphins | L 13–20 | 5–6 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–31 | 5–7 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | Bye | ||||||
| 14 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | L 0–3 | 5–8 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 63–21 | 6–8 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 25 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–14 | 7–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 31 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 20–23 | 7–9 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | |
| 18 | January 7 | Denver Broncos | W 27–14 | 8–9 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
To commence their 2023 season, as well as the post-Derek Carr era, the Las Vegas Raiders traveled to Empower Field at Mile High to face one of their longtime AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos. It took newly-acquired Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only one drive and 3 passes to pass a touchdown, as he hit Jakobi Meyers with a 3-yard touchdown pass to put the Raiders up, 7-0. Less than a minute later, Russell Wilson hit Lil'Jordan Humphrey with a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut the Raiders' lead to 7-6, since they couldn't get the extra point.
In the second quarter, Daniel Carlson booted a 24-yard field goal to push the Raiders' lead up to 10–6. However, Vegas trailed for the first time when Russell Wilson hit Courtland Sutton with a 5-yard touchdown pass to put Denver up, 13–10, at the half.
In the third quarter, neither team could score any points; the score stayed 13–10 in favor of the Broncos.
In the fourth quarter, Wil Lutz booted a 24-yard field goal and extended the Broncos' lead to 16–10. However, the Raiders would shove back, with Garoppolo hitting Jakobi Meyers with a 6-yard touchdown pass to reach the final score of 17–16, in favor of Vegas.
With the win, the Raiders started the season 1–0, and were the only AFC West team that won their season opener.
The victory was the Raiders' first over the Packers since 1987 when the team was based in Los Angeles.[13]
Aidan O'Connell threw four touchdowns in the Raiders’ largest franchise points output ever in a 63–21 win over the Chargers. The Raiders forced five turnovers and receiver Jakobi Meyers threw a touchdown as the Raiders led 42–0 at the half. The previous high for points scored had been 59 against the Broncos in 2010.[14] Final score 63-21 was a scorigami.[15]