Raiders' final appearance in Oakland leaves fans mournful and bitter (2024)

OAKLAND --The 52,788 folks whomade the pilgrimage to the Coliseum for The Very Last, Final, FinalRaiders Game in Oakland came for one more hug, a warm embrace before their beloved team left town for good.

The conditions were ripe for their wish. The Raiders had an abundance of incentive, having lost three in a row, all but ending hopes for the playoffs. There was a roaring throng determined to lift them even higher. They were facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had averaged 11.4 points per game while losing five in a row and, upon kickoff, seemed downright compliant.

So, of course, seconds away from the storybook finish their fans craved, it was ripped from their grip in a 20-16 loss that resulted in a parting that was equal parts mournful and bitter.

Some wept, others booed.

Some slowly eased toward the exits, others stayed behind to express their disgust,throw objects onto the field and generally keep security officers and law enforcement busy.

Yet quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 46 yards in a drowsy second half, after piling up 221 in the first, was compelled to visit the Black Hole, which houses the most vociferous contingent of Raiders fans.

“I saw a couple people, a little kid, a couple people I’ve seen over the years,” Carr said of his bold move. “I just said, ‘Thanks.’ Whenever I’m done playing football, they can get mad at somebody else someday that’s the quarterback. You know what I mean? ...

“So many memories with all those people, so I had told them I was going to say, ‘Hi,’ to them after the game, no matter what.”

Perhaps no single regular-season game among the 200 played in the Coliseum over the past 25 seasons better symbolized the team’s Second Act in Oakland. There was the initial rush of joy, then a glimmer of hope, followed by creeping trepidation and ending, finally, in heartbreak.

The kind of slow, steady heartbreak that comes with watching the Jaguars scored 17 unanswered points --striking for two touchdowns in less than five minutes late in the fourth quarter --punctuated by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew to Chris Conley that provided the winning margin.

The pain was intensified by the way the Raiders opened the game, putting together a coach’s dream of a drive, going 75 yards in seven plays and taking a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Oakland rolled up 180 yards, the highest total in any opening quarter since they returned from Los Angeles in 1995.

When they went into the locker room at halftime with a 16-3 lead, the concourses were throbbing with good vibes, folks as high on faith as they were marijuana. The cashiers in the team stores were working up a sweat trying to keep the lines moving.

This is what so many had come for, why they wore jerseys as nostalgic as Jim Otto’s 00 and Willie Brown’s No. 24, as classic as Howie Long’s No. 75 and Bo Jackson’s No. 34, as enduring as Fred Biletnikoff’s No. 25 and Tim Brown’s No. 81, as fleeting as Randy Moss’ No. 18 and as rueful as Kahlil Mack’s No. 52.

Thisalso is why there was such a heavy presence of Raiders alumni, from those who, like Biletnikoff, played in the First Act in Oakland, to those who, like Charles Woodson, represented the team after the return in ‘95.

They came for the ceremonial sendoff and they walked the field they knew so well before the game and again at halftime, with Woodson taking the microphone and addressing the fans.

“I see Tim Brown out golfing and whatnot. I see Marcus Allen here and there,” Woodson told NBC Sports Bay Area in the locker room after the game. “But when I run into guys like Lester (Hayes), man, it’s so special. Those are legends of the game.

“And when you think about the Raiders, there are so many legends. So many. It’s always fun just to lay eyes on them and just be around them.”

Woodson lit the Al Davis torch before the game, to the roar of the crowd. It was understood that the game itself was but the thin subplot to an event destined for history. This was scripted to be a Sunday of memories that would go far beyond what occurred on the football field.

This was for the years of Raiders loyalty that never wavered despite the frustration that followed the team’s ever-growing stack of disappointments.

They instead were treated to a fourth consecutive loss, killing the improbable playoff possibility and providing an epilogue these fans hated instead of the one for which they hoped.

“I love them and I’m sorry about the outcome today,” coach Jon Gruden said of the fans. “But that’s something that needs to be said, an exclamation point. I really apologize that we weren’t able to deliver a victory.”

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This was, simply put, an ugly breakup. And for too many, agony turned to anger. Some will get over it and show up in Las Vegas next season. Others maybe not.

You can bet that a few of those who came to Oakland hoping for a sweet goodbye from the Raiders walked out of the Coliseum thinking Vegas can have them.