On Sunday, the AFC and NFC Championship games were played, with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Detroit Lions and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs traveling to take on the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Both games were entertaining, with one upset and one game that took a drastic turn in the second half. The Chiefs were able to pull out the win on the road against the Ravens, with Lamar Jackson falling apart, and Brock Purdy led the 49ers to an inspired comeback over Jared Goff and company.
While everyone was watching the 49ers and Chiefs setting up an epic matchup in the upcoming Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, Las Vegas Raiders superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby was also watching the game and amped about the prospect of playing in these high-stakes playoff games, as he took to Twitter to promise a bright future for his team.
I Can’t Wait To Play In These Games. It Will Happen. #Undisputed 🦅💎
— Maxx Crosby (@CrosbyMaxx) January 28, 2024
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, the Raiders came just short of making the NFL playoffs this season, with the Indianapolis Colts putting the nail in the coffin in the final stretch of the regular season.
Even though the postseason wasn’t in the cards for the Raiders this season, the team seems inspired that longtime owner Mark Davis made the right move in making Antonio Pierce the head coach for the foreseeable future after an impressive stint as interim head coach.
That said, Crosby and company are excited about what the future holds, but the team has a lot of questions to answer during the NFL offseason, with new general manager Tom Telesco having his handful. He’ll be tasked with shorting out the quarterback situation, whether it be a rookie or a veteran, and putting together a playoff-caliber roster.
It’ll be interesting to see what moves the Raiders make during the offseason and whether those moves are enough to propel them into the playoff conversation. The quarterback decision will be at the core of what this team does, as some believe they could trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft for a top prospect like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.
Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy recently, has gotten the most buzz when it comes to potentially playing for the Raiders. Davante Adams and Pierce have endorsed the team going after him, while the LSU product has also said Las Vegas is his favorite city, which is interesting, to say the least.
Only time will tell what the Raiders will do, as a lot of work needs to be done to get this team headed in the right direction.