Story byTyree Wilson, Malcolm KoonceMatt HolderMon, January 5, 2026 at 2:36 AM UTC·4 min readLas Vegas Raiders fans haven’t had much to cheer about this season, but Week 18 finally brought some joy for Raider Nation. With the New York Giants beating the Dallas Cowboys during the morning slate of games on Sunday, Las Vegas had the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft locked up before kickoff against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then, the Silver and Black managed to avoid the embarrassment of getting swept in the AFC West for the second year in a row by beating their biggest rivals, 14-12. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNothing was riding on this game, but the Raiders managed to show enough fight to get their first win since Week 6/mid-October.