3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 17 Win

The Las Vegas Raiders closed out their 2020 campaign with a wild 32-31 win over the AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Sunday. Las Vegas took the lead with less than a minute remaining on a Josh Jacobs touchdown run and a gutsy decision to go for two points instead of a tie.

For Raiders fans, it was a fitting way to finish a year that had plenty of exciting moments but ended without a playoff berth. There was nothing on the line in this game other than bragging rights, but it should give Las Vegas a bit of momentum to carry into 2021.

The win also allowed the Raiders to avoid a losing season, which is something to build upon. Here are three key takeaways from Las Vegas' thrilling Week 17 win.

Let's start with the negatives. Jon Gruden's decision to play for the win instead of overtime on the final scoring drive should be applauded. His second tenure as the Raiders' head coach shouldn't be. Yes, he got Las Vegas to .500 this season, but that follows 4-12 and 7-9 campaigns.

Overall, Gruden is 19-29 as the Raiders' head coach, which shouldn't be nearly good enough for the franchise. The Raiders hired Gruden to create a winner, and he hasn't produced one. While it's fair to acknowledge that creating a winning culture can take time, other teams are making quick turnarounds while the Raiders are meandering toward contention.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, for example, has reached the playoffs in his first season on the job.

Give Gruden credit for coaching up a win Sunday but also note that in games that have mattered—like Week 16's playoff-killing loss to the Miami Dolphins—Gruden has fallen short.

Coaching alone won't produce a winner, so it must be noted that the Raiders have some key pieces they can build around in 2021. Most notably, they have an elite tight end in Darren Waller and a high-end running back in Josh Jacobs.

Thanks to a defense that ranks just 29th in points allowed, Las Vegas has largely had to win with offense in 2020. Waller and Jacobs have at least made doing so possible.

On Sunday, Waller set a new franchise record for receptions with 107 and went over the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in seven games. Jacobs didn't top the 100-yard mark, but he did bulldoze his way into the end zone twice, once for the game-winner.

The jury is still out on rookie receiver Henry Ruggs III, and the Raiders desperately need to address their defense in the offseason. However, Las Vegas has two franchise cornerstones to go along with quarterback Derek Carr moving forward.

While Gruden has yet to find a winning formula for the Raiders, he has found his franchise quarterback in Carr. He may not be among the league's elite signal-callers, but Carr has played well enough this season—and, really, dating back to last year—to quiet any talk of a quarterback change.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders feel the same way.

"There's no intention that they are willing to move off of Derek Carr at this point in time," Schefter said on NFL Sunday Countdown. "Now, Jon Gruden is always looking at quarterbacks, and they also have Marcus Mariota under a two-year contract, but Carr played well this year, and you have to figure they'd like to stick with him going into next year."

Was Carr perfect Sunday? No, but he was good enough. He threw a pair of interceptions, but he also racked up 371 yards, two touchdowns and the game-winning two-point pass.

If Las Vegas can fix its defensive issues in the offseason, Carr should have a good chance to finally carry the Raiders back into the postseason.