Raiders light up cigars to celebrate win in 1st game after McDaniels firing
It's safe to say things are back to normal in the Las Vegas Raiders' locker room.
The Raiders celebrated Sunday's 30-6 win over the New York Giants in style, with players lighting up victory cigars in the locker room following their first game after firing head coach Josh McDaniels.
You know the vibes. pic.twitter.com/UijjL1JS5i
— Raider Posts (@RaiderPosts) November 6, 2023
The Raiders fired McDaniels Tuesday night to end a disappointing one-plus-season stint that featured a 9-16 record. General manager Dave Ziegler was also dismissed.
Multiple Las Vegas players voiced frustrations before McDaniels' departure, including wide receiver Davante Adams, who was unhappy with how often he'd been targeted this season. Despite the Raiders being on a two-game win streak at the time, the All-Pro pass-catcher said on Oct. 18 that he expected to be more involved in the game plan after receiving nine targets combined between Weeks 5-6.
Led by interim head coach Antonio Pierce, the Raiders scored a season-high. 30 points in Week 9.
Adams was targeted seven times Sunday - the third-lowest number of targets he's received in a game this year - but said he's not worried about that. The 30-year-old finished the day with four catches for 34 yards.
"Do I want to catch more ball? Of course, why would I not?" Adams said Sunday when asked about how he was incorporated into the game plan versus New York, according to Vegas Sports Today. "But at the end of the day ... this isn't about me. This is about the team."
He added: "It is what it is. It's about how it looks, and it looks like it was supposed to look out there. We weren't perfect by any means, but we were able to run the ball and do things that we set out to do since I've been here. One way or the other, we figured it out."
Several Raiders players praised Pierce postgame.
"We wanted to do it for AP," running back Josh Jacobs said, according to Logan Reever of 8 News Now.
"He loves football, I love football," star edge rusher Maxx Crosby added. "He's a student of the game, but at the same time, he has that swag that everybody feels."
Las Vegas' 24-point victory over New York marked the largest win immediately after a midseason coaching change since 2015, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The 4-5 Raiders host the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football in Week 10.