Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season was nothing short of brutal for the Las Vegas Raiders. First, the Raiders had to watch the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens by a hair in the regular season opener on Thursday night. Then, the Raiders lost their own game against the Los Angeles Chargers, as the only saving grace was the Denver Broncos’ defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

Leaders 27 Ravens 20

Statistics:

• QB Patrick Mahomes: 20/28, 281, 1 TD, 1 INT
• WR Xavier Worthy: 3 touches, 68 yards, 2 total TDs
• TE Travis Kelce 3 catches, 34 yards
• WR Rashee Rice: 7 catches, 103 yards
• LB Leo Chenal: 7 total tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PD
• DT Chris Jones: 3 total tackles, 1 sack

Think Ravens tight end Isaiah . Perhaps the NFL’s Kevin Durant as a toe on the line was the difference between Baltimore tying or winning with a PAT or two-point conversion. But the bigger concern for the Raiders going forward is that rookie Worthy had a pair of scores in his debut. Also, the Chiefs were able to find success on offense without Kelce being a big factor once Rice stepped down. It certainly doesn’t appear as if the back-to-back champions are suffering from Super Bowl hangover.

Broncos 20 Seahawks 26

Statistics:

• QB Bo Nix: 26/42, 138 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs, 5 rushes, 35 yards, 1 rush TD
• WR Josh Reynolds: 5 catches, 45 yards
• RB Javonte Williams: 8 carries, 23 yards
• LB Alex Singleton: 9 total tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
• EDGE Jonathan Cooper: 6 total tackles, 2 sacks

Denver’s offense wasn’t much to speak of, as Nix’s debut stats were about what you’d expect, a lot of completions for not a lot of yards. Most of the team’s scores came on short-field turnovers. The Broncos’ pass rush was impressive, with seven quarterback hits while Cooper led the team with two sacks. That helped hold Geno Smith to 171 yards, but Denver was torn apart on the ground as Kenneth Walker rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown while Smith also had a score on the ground.

In other Raiders links:

• Plenty of blame to go around: “The Chargers had a 16-10 lead with about 7:40 left in the game and Pierce decided to punt from the Chargers’ 43-yard line on fourth-and-1. The Chargers then went 92 yards to score and tie the game,” Bill Williamson of Silver and Black Pride offered some opinions on the Raiders’ performance.

• Watch Alexander Mattison’s touchdown: It was the only time Las Vegas scored anything special, but it was a nice play.

• Tom Brady nearing ownership: “Sources say his approval as a limited partner could be approved by league owners as early as October, but there is also a possibility it could happen during the labor seminar and Special League Meeting in December,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote. “Regardless, Brady’s approval is expected to be final by the time the 2024 season concludes.”

• What we learned from the Raiders loss: “The Raiders’ defense was excellent in the first half against the Chargers but wore out late in the game,” wrote Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “The second half was marred by missed tackles, bad angles and botched assignments, both in the run game and after the catch on completed passes.”