SI

Let’s Talk About the Raiders’ Shocking Cover Against the Broncos

The end of Denver-Las Vegas game was a bonanza for those who think the NFL is rigged.

Jimmy Traina

Pete Carroll's Raiders didn’t have much of a chance against Denver on Sunday, but they did pull off a miracle cover.
Pete Carroll's Raiders didn’t have much of a chance against Denver on Sunday, but they did pull off a miracle cover. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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1. If you’re in the betting world, you know that the end of Sunday’s Denver-Las Vegas game was beyond stunning. The Broncos were a 7.5-point favorite and the over/under was 40.5. They were up 24–14 with just seconds left when two things happened. First, Denver was called for a very questionable delay of game penalty when a defender hovered over a Raiders player as time was running out, causing the clock to stop, Then, for some reason, Pete Carroll sent out the field goal unit with five seconds left. Daniel Carlson drilled the 46-yard-kick as time expired to make it a 24–17 final.

A few things here:

  • This isn’t a “bad beat.” This is pure insanity. The penalty never should’ve been called and Carroll never should’ve kicked a field goal there.
  • I understand that reporters aren’t there to cover gambling, but it would’ve been nice if one of them would’ve asked Carroll after the game why he kicked the FG.
  • Props to CBS’s Jason McCourty and Andrew Catalon for referencing what was going on with the spread and total without directly referencing the spread and total. If you are a bettor, you knew exactly what McCourty and Catalon were pointing out.
  • On the flip side, Charles Davis might have given the all-time worst commentary I’ve never heard during a game when he said the Raiders were trying to kick a field goal, get the onside kick and then attempt a Hail Mary WITH ALL OF FIVE FREAKIN SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME!!!!!

I’m not a big conspiracy theorist, and I don’t think the NFL is rigged. And normally, I think people who claim the NFL is rigged are delusional. Even in this case, the rigging claim doesn’t make sense. Who exactly would be rigging the cover? The refs for unnecessarily calling a dumb penalty or Carroll for kicking the field goal?

So while I don’t think anything was rigged, I’m also not going to dismiss anyone who says things looked awfully fishy in Sin City on Sunday.

2. NFL scheduling note for this coming Sunday: It’s a double doubleheader week for CBS and Fox. Every market gets four games, two at 1 p.m. and two at 4:25 p.m. There are no 4:05 games scheduled. All 4:25 games in late window. CBS has Packers at Broncos as the main late game while Fox has Lions at Rams.

3. CBS’s Ian Eagle came up with a creative call of a Travis Etienne touchdown on Sunday.

4. Here are the broadcast assignments for the first round of the College Football Playoff:

Friday, Dec. 19:

Alabama at Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit

Saturday, Dec. 20:

Miami at Texas A&M (noon ET on ABC/ESPN): Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy
Tulane at Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET on TNT): Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer
James Madison at Oregon (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT): Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick

5. I love seeing headlines/posts like this.

Brady Quinn 1) went to Notre Dame and 2) works for ESPN’s competitor. He’s not exactly an objective bystander in all this.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with College GameDay host Rece Davis.

Davis reminisces about being at ESPN for 30 years, his early days on ESPN2 and his time as a SportsCenter anchor.

In addition, Davis, who has now been the host of GameDay for 10 years, talks about what it was like to replace Chris Fowler, his favorite Lee Corso memory, whether he cares about GameDay ratings, why he stayed at ESPN instead of leaving for Fox, whether he thinks he can challenge his co-hosts and the most difficult thing about hosting GameDay.

Other topics discussed with Davis include the claim that ESPN has an SEC bias, calling Bill Belichick’s first game at North Carolina and the aftermath, the Lane Kiffin saga and how he’d fix the college football playoff.

Following Davis, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, Sal gives an update on his WFAN status, we talk about our Thanksgivings, look ahead to a monster NFL week, react to Spotify’s list of the top 10 podcasts of 2025 and discuss some content creators.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: It was 23 years ago today that HBO aired the “Whitecaps” episode of The Sopranos. The show featured the best acting I’ve ever seen in this scene between Tony and Carmela.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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