| 2021 Las Vegas Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mark Davis Carol Davis |
| General manager | Mike Mayock |
| Head coach | Jon Gruden (resigned October 11, 3–2 record) Rich Bisaccia (interim; 7–5 record) |
| Home field | Allegiant Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bengals) 19–26 |
| Pro Bowlers | 4
|
| AP All-Pros | 3
|
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2021 season was the Las Vegas Raiders' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall, their second in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and their eighth (fourth in his second stint) and final under head coach Jon Gruden. On October 11, Gruden resigned due to the publication of homophobic, misogynistic, and racist emails sent by Gruden prior to becoming the Raiders head coach.[1] Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia was named the interim coach.[2] The season was also marred by controversies involving three of their draft picks from 2020 and 2021, respectively, first-round pick Henry Ruggs, who was involved in a fatal drunk-driving car crash and was sentenced in 2023 to three to 10-years in prison, Damon Arnette, another first-round pick who was discovered in a video showing him brandishing firearms and making death threats, and Nate Hobbs, who was arrested in Las Vegas for driving under the influence following the team's Week 17 win against the Indianapolis Colts. Ruggs and Arnette were released during the season while Hobbs, to date, remains with the franchise
The season marked the first regular season to consist of 17 games.[3] With a week 17 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders clinched their first winning season since 2016 and their second since 2002 when they lost Super Bowl XXXVII. After beating the rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18, the Raiders made the postseason for the first time since 2016 and their first in Las Vegas.[4] Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia became the first interim head coach since Bruce Arians in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts to lead their team to a postseason berth. The Raiders finished the season 10–7 and secured the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. However, their season ended with a 26–19 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round, which was Cincinnati's first playoff win since 1990. Ironically in 1990, the Raiders defeated the Bengals in that season's divisional playoffs, which began Cincinnati's playoff drought, which had been the longest drought without a playoff win in the 4 North American sports at the time. The loss extended the Raiders current drought to 19 seasons, which is currently the second longest in the NFL.
The Raiders won four overtime games during the season, a feat accomplished only by the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos in 2011.
- ^ "Jon Gruden resigns as Las Vegas Raiders head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "Rich Bisaccia named Raiders interim head coach". NFL.com. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "NFL owners approve 17-game season, starting in 2021". ESPN.com. March 30, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ "Raiders vs. Chargers score: Derek Carr edges Justin Herbert in OT thriller; Vegas claims postseason spot". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.