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The Las Vegas Raiders surprised the masses with a convincing win over the New Orleans Saints during Monday Night Football. Early in the game, it looked the Saints were going to have their way with the Raiders due to a couple of quick scores. However, Las Vegas took control of the game in the second quarter and never let up.
The Raiders were fortunate as the Saints committed a litany of penalties that helped seal the game. It was a rare turn of events as the silver and black are usually the team committing all the penalties. That didn’t stop former UFC Champion and Saints fan Daniel Cormier from suggesting the fix was in.
Cormier sounds like a Raiders fan with those comments. It’s patently absurd to suggest the referees handed Las Vegas the game. The referees didn’t throw an easy interception to the Raiders defense at the end of the first half. The referees didn’t throw for three touchdowns against a strong pass defense. While the penalties certainly helped the Raiders win, they were simply the better team on Monday night.
Saints Were Heavily Penalize in Week 1
Cormier’s claim seems even more ridiculous when you factor in that New Orleans was heavily penalized in their first game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They had 119 penalty yards in that game. Perhaps the Saints are just a sloppy team right now.
Heading into the season, they were considered one of the strongest teams in the NFL. The loss against the Raiders doesn’t help their Super Bowl aspirations. Now, it’s possible that Las Vegas is a lot better than anybody thought so the loss early in the season isn’t that big of a deal. However, Drew Brees doesn’t look as strong as he has in the past. There could be some trouble brewing in New Orleans if Michael Thomas doesn’t heal up soon.
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Jon Gruden & Sean Payton Get Fined
While Jon Gruden pulled off the win on Monday, both he and Sean Payton are getting hit hard in the bank account. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Gruden and Payton are getting fined $150,000 for not wearing their masks correctly during the game.
“I’m doing my best. You know, I’ve had the virus. OK. I’m doing my best,” Gruden said of mask-wearing after Monday’s win. “I’m very sensitive about it, but I’m calling plays. I just wanna communicate in these situations and I apologize and if I get fined, I will have to pay the fine, but I’m very sensitive about all of that and I apologize. Alright? Thanks guys.”
Despite the fact that he already beat COVID-19, the NFL still expects him to keep his mask on. This is clearly becoming a problem for coaches early on and it will be interesting to see if the fines work. $150,000 is a big chunk of change so some coaches should consider gluing that mask on.
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