Raider Nation’s Great Depression Comes to an End

Just two years ago, there were people that genuinely wondered if the Oakland Raiders could beat Alabama. And now, the team is going to the playoffs.

After the 2002 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew out the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl. It was then that the Great Depression started in Raider Nation. When a team fails to make the playoffs following a Super Bowl loss, it’s a Super Bowl hangover.

But for the Raiders, it’s been 14 years so we can call that a depression, a great one at that. Raider Nation was starving, some not believing once the winningest sports franchise in history was that bad. Raiders fans often turned on each other over opinions on what the team should do next.

It got to the point where average football players were celebrated like superstars. Now that the team is much better, many of those players have become backups or were cut. Sunday, Raider Nation was still starving to see their Raiders in the playoffs.

So Bay Area fans traveled and the Southern California fans made sure they were there. The Raiders had a chance to clinch a playoff spot by beating the San Diego Chargers. Raiders fans took over Qualcomm Stadium even more than they had in years past.

One could say the Black Hole was at Qualcomm for a day as the Chargers’ offense had trouble hearing at times. The game didn’t end up being pretty but the result is as beautiful as can be. The Raiders are now in the playoffs and in first place in the AFC West at that.

We should all honor and not forget players like Nnamdi Asomugha, Marcel Reece and Darren McFadden. There were times that they were the only guys worth the price of admission. The Great Depression in Raider Nation is over with a “new era of excellence.”