Disclaimer: all articles featured in this issue are fake in celebration of April Fool’s Day
April 1, 2026 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The Las Vegas Raiders have won their first Super Bowl since the 1980s, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 21-17. The game was played at 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, and Vegas clawed back from being shut out over the course of three quarters and falling into a 17-point hole. The Raiders would open the fourth quarter with their first touchdown of the game, breathing life back into their sideline. The Raiders then took the ball on their next possession after forcing a punt and would score yet again, putting the 49ers on their heels with just minutes to go.
Rather than take an onside kick, Vegas boldly decided to trust their defense and defend, making a coaching adjustment, turning strip ball from default to aggressive. Just after the two-minute warning, the Raiders forced a fumble and took the ball back. They would then march down the field and, once again, decided to be bold by running four verticals with just seven seconds remaining in the game. Vegas would find the tight end on the post route in the middle of the field and take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The game marks the end of a journey in which the Raiders had to overcome multiple obstacles, one being poor internet connection and another being three weeks of progress being deleted, forcing the team to start over nearly from scratch. At one point of the season, Las Vegas was 2-6 but miraculously turned it around and ended the season 13-4 after trading for Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Hurts and Jalen Ramsey, each for seventh-round picks respectively.
“It’s tough to stay motivated when things like that happen,” the self-proclaimed coach said. “But we just stay motivated and keep working, that’s really all you can do. Sometimes you forget to save files, and sometimes EA servers are down, but you make do and keep pushing forward. Trading for those three guys really helped us, too.”
Critics have said that the Raiders don’t deserve the Super Bowl victory after a change from All-Pro to Rookie difficulty took place sometime midseason. “It’s a Mickey Mouse ring, honestly. I don’t know how anyone in that organization can possibly be proud of the ‘work’ they did,” an anonymous league source said. “How’d they even trade for all of those guys, too? I mean, seriously, does no one think getting all those guys for seventh-round picks is a little suspicious? Does no one think it’s a little weird that they were all listed as punters for about 30 seconds right before being traded, despite never taking any punting reps? Come on.”
The coach of the team simply responded by saying, “I don’t recall asking to be honest. I’m just doing my own thing; if that bothers people, then that’s their problem, not mine.” When asked how he felt in the aftermath of the win, the coach simply said, “Well, right after the game, I turned off my PS5 and went to bed because I had work the next morning, but it was hard to sleep after such an emotional game. I love this team so much, I would do anything for them. For all of the game’s flaws, there’s nothing like winning a Super Bowl in Madden franchise mode.”
Contact the author at howlsports@mail.wou.edu
