On Sunday, the 2024 NFL regular season officially got underway for the Las Vegas Raiders, with head coach Antonio Pierce and company hitting the road to take on the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Week 1.
Despite taking an early lead with running back Alexander Mattison catching a touchdown pass from new starting quarterback Gardner Minshew, the Raiders couldn’t do much offensively in Week 1, resulting in only 10 points scored. Even though superstar defensive end Maxx Crosby and the team’s defense were firing on all cylinders and looking like an elite unit this year, Las Vegas couldn’t put points on the board to keep in this game.
With this being such a bitter rivalry between these two teams in the AFC West, tempers are bound to flare at some point, especially with the Raiders getting frustrated by being elite defensively but sorely lacking on the offensive side of the football.
That said, a dust-up on the field during this Week 1 matchup wasn’t all that surprising. Cornerback Jack Jones and Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer got into it in the endzone toward the end of the game, with Los Angeles putting this contest out of reach for Las Vegas.
As a result of this fight on the field, which seemed to get out of control at one point involving several players on both teams, Jones and Palmer were ejected from the game, and many believed that suspensions could be handed down to multiple players after Week 1 concluded.
Fortunately for both teams, the NFL didn’t view this altercation on the field as worthy of suspending players.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the league is expected to issue no suspensions for the on-field fight involving several Raiders and Chargers players, but there could be fines.
The NFL is not expected to suspend any of the players involved in Sunday's fight near the end of the #Chargers–#Raiders game, per me and @RapSheet.
Jack Jones and Joshua Palmer were ejected, and there could be fines as well. But no suspensions. pic.twitter.com/gTbcncUkC5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 9, 2024
This is the best-case scenario for the Raiders, as losing Jones to a suspension would be costly for Las Vegas, especially with the team set to take on the Baltimore Ravens on the road at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 2 on Sunday. Not having Jones patrolling the secondary would be a big blow with the defense trying to contain reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ potent offense.
Although Week 1 didn’t turn out the way the Raiders wanted, Las Vegas can make some noise if they can take down the Ravens this weekend. They’ll be heavy underdogs with a -9.5 point spread in favor of the Ravens, but there’s a chance to make a statement on the road early in the season.
