Will Raiders Victory Help Coach Tony Sparano Keep His Job?

The Oakland Raiders snapped a 16-game losing streak that spanned two seasons and a combined 368 days. So following their upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night, the question now becomes, “Has the franchise turned the corner? And if so, is interim coach Tony Sparano the man to lead the charge?”

According to ESPN, “many of Oakland’s players have credited Sparano for keeping things together after general manager Reggie McKenzie fired head coach Dennis Allen after the team’s 0-4 start.”

But is that enough to remove the “interim” tag from Sparano? Maybe, maybe not. But at the very least, Tony won’t go down without a fight either way.

“I was the first person at Starbucks this morning, I’ll put it that way,” Sparano said a day after he reported to work despite the fact he gave the entire team the day off following the Raiders victory. “I left the house at 4:30 and I was in here this morning. But I have every intention of walking out of this building today when the sun is still up, hopefully.”

Sparano received the game ball following the Raiders win, something that was quite emotional for the former Dolphins head coach.

“I have gotten some game balls before [and] quite honestly, probably none more meaningful than that one,” Sparano said.

And as reported by Inquisitr, the Raiders have a promising future with David Carr at quarterback. They also were able to unleash running back Latavius Murray, which took pressure off their young QB.

But many are questioning why it took so long to start Murray before Thursday’s game, a decision that may not have only cost the Raiders some wins, it may also cost Sparano the chance to coach the team moving forward.

“After Murray’s performance Thursday, the question must be asked why he wasn’t named the starter earlier,” the San Jose Mercury News asks.

“No doubt, his breakout game came against the 25th-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. But would the presence of a run game have helped the Raiders the first 10 games? Do they beat the Chargers in one of those two close games? Do they pull off the near upset over a vulnerable Seattle? Carr had regressed over a five- or six-week stretch as the Raiders weak ground game was ignored like a crosswalk. There is a good chance Carr would have been making progress if he was leading a balanced attack instead of carrying the offense on his rookie arm.”

The Oakland Raiders play the St. Louis Rams in two weeks. Whether Tony Sparano is the head coach following the end of the season remains to be seen.

[Image via Bleacher Report]