Will Allegiant become a decided advantage for the Las Vegas Raiders?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders will be welcoming Raider Nation back into the stadium in 2021, but will it be a dependable x-factor during the regular season?
In their last game inside the Oakland Coliseum, the then-Oakland Raiders lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team they had no business losing to. That led to an almost uprising by the fan base, as they littered the field with garbage, and booed the Silver and Black out of the stadium.
While that was a tough final act for the Raiders inside the beloved Coliseum, it did nothing to lessen the love that Raider Nation has for this team. The Raiders have the absolute best fans in professional sports, as the love for the team extends from continent to continent.
In 2020, their first season in Las Vegas, the fans were shut out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we really do not know what the atmosphere will be like inside Allegiant Stadium. Even in bad years in the Bay, the Raiders faithful showed up every weekend, ready to cheer on the team and give them an advantage within the Coliseum walls.
Last season, the Raiders did not fare well inside Allegiant Stadium, going 2-6, though it was in front of an empty stadium. If they want to do anything of substance in 2021, the new stadium must give the team a decided home-field advantage, and that starts against a tough Baltimore Ravens team in Week 1 in primetime.
Raiders will have a decided advantage inside Allegiant Stadium
While the Raiders moved over 400 miles away, and over 500 driving miles away from Oakland, it has done nothing to hinder the number of fans who come out to Allegiant. We saw it in the team’s first preseason game, and based on the crowd in that one, you can expect Allegiant to be rocking every time the Las Vegas Raiders take the field.
In 2021, Las Vegas hosts not only Baltimore, but also Kansas City, the Chargers, Denver, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and the Washington Football Team. For the most part, those look like very winnable games, and a rocking Raiders crowd could be the difference in them having a tremendous home record.
Raider Nation may be the most passionate fan base in sports, and despite the team having some real issues winning on a consistent basis, their loyalty to the team has never wavered. In 2021, they get a chance to make Allegiant Stadium their new home, and I have no doubt that it will be a place that becomes very hard for opposing teams to win in.