Raiders coach Jon Gruden didn’t expect to be preparing for a meaningless game in the season finale, especially after such a promising start to the season.
To be fair, there was a time he didn’t expect to be getting his team ready for a Week 17 game at all.
The NFL is on the verge of getting through this COVID-stricken season without a canceled or forfeited game, a feat Gruden said was difficult to imagine in the summer when so much of the sports world was still in doubt.
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Gruden was surprised the Raiders made it to the end of the season, he said Wednesday as his team began preparations to play at Denver on Sunday. “I credit the NFL; I credit all the organizations around the league. I credit the players, the trainers, everybody affiliated for doing everything possible to finish.”