Sitting at 2-11 and with a good chance to earn the No. 1 overall pick, it’s hard to argue that the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t the worst team in the league. As a result, every outlet below agrees with where the Raiders stand in the Week 15 NFL Power Rankings roundup.
ESPN
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
Most shocking statistical ranking: 21st in blitz rate and 30th in pressure rate
The Raiders have a blitz rate of 26.0%, which is their second-lowest mark since Patrick Graham became the defensive coordinator
in 2022, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Las Vegas also has a pressure rate of 27.4%, which ranks 30th in the NFL and is their lowest over the past four seasons. Outside of defensive end Maxx Crosby, the Raiders have struggled to attack opposing quarterbacks, which has been a key factor in the unit’s struggles. — Ryan McFadden
I think there are two major factors at play here to explain these numbers. One is Pete Carroll’s influence on the defense, as Carroll has never been known to dial up the heat and typically relies on the front four to get pressure. Two is just a general lack of talent on defense. The Raiders’ defensive backs and linebackers aren’t good enough to be consistently left on an island, and the team desperately needs another pass-rusher to step up and force offenses to account for someone other than Crosby. The latter is where the Christian Wilkins drama and Malcolm Koonce’s struggles to bounce back from the knee injury really hurt the team. Hopefully, that can get solved during the offseason.
The Athletic
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
Worst-case scenario: Pete Carroll goes out ugly
The Raiders’ 74-year-old head coach has been a breath of fresh air since returning to the NFL as the Seahawks’ head coach in 2010, but he could be out after this season. Las Vegas beat the Patriots in Week 1 but is minus-143 in scoring margin since then. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since 2002. — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
It feels like this “worst-case scenario” could become reality in about a month. Recently, there have been a lot of rumors that Carroll is on the hot seat, and there aren’t many head coaches who keep their jobs when their team holds the top pick of the draft. And of course, there’s the whole rebuilding with a guy who turns 75 years old in September factor…
Sports Illustrated
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
The day after literally inciting a miniature riot from conspiratorial problem gamblers who experienced one of the worst back door covers in recent history, Pete Carroll says he kicked a time-expiring field goal down 10 points because he was pleading with the official to give him more time. People will understand this, right? — Conor Orr
Carroll’s explanation of the late-game field goal makes the whole situation even funnier. There were five seconds left on the clock, so he was counting on the field goal taking three seconds and then recovering the onside kick within one second to have a chance at a Hail Mary. I think it’s pretty obvious that Carroll was trying to make the scoreboard look better and have this game technically be a one-score loss.
NFL.com
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
I preemptively moved Las Vegas into the cellar a couple weeks ago, even though Tennessee had a worse record, and it was one of my smarter calls of the season. Not to dance on the Raiders’ grave or anything, but even after a moderately respectable showing against Denver, they still looked eons away from truly competing on Sunday. Hey, at least Vegas didn’t turn the ball over once for the first time since Week 3. But the run game remains anemic, putting a lot of pressure on the Raiders to figure out how to unlock Ashton Jeanty going forward. The Raiders somehow ran for 240 yards against the Bears in Week 4 but have just 232 rush yards combined in the past five games. That’s … something. — Eric Edholm
While Kolton Miller is known more for his work in pass protection, Las Vegas is really missing him in the running game, too. Miller had a season-high 80.2 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus against the Bears, the last game he played in, and had a 75.8 mark through the first four weeks. With Miller back in the lineup, a healthy Jackson Powers-Johnson and if Caleb Rogers continues to develop, there’s reason to be optimistic about the Raiders’ ability to run the ball next season.
Bleacher Report
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
It may be time for a full reset in Las Vegas; this roster clearly isn’t working. Given how the Raiders played Sunday, it’s fair to question why Kenny Pickett didn’t replace the floundering Geno Smith at quarterback long before the veteran hurt his hand against Denver. The Raiders spent a top-10 pick on a running back who has fewer yards before contact than any qualifying back in the league because the offensive line in front of him is abysmal.
As outlandish as this may sound, Pete Carroll shouldn’t be coaching this team in 2026. The decision to hire him and sign Smith has been another fiasco from a franchise that has specialized in fiascos for years. As things stand, it’s the Raiders who would pick first in Pittsburgh next April. They will probably botch that, too. – Gary Davenport
I don’t anticipate a quarterback change after Carroll said Smith avoided significant damage to his shoulder, and the last line of Davenport’s analysis is why Las Vegas shouldn’t make the switch. If Pickett wins one of the next four games, then it could screw the Raiders out of the No. 1 pick and decrease their chances of being able to draft a quarterback.
Also, Pickett is a free agent in the offseason. Even if he plays well over the last month of the season, that’s not a big enough sample size to give him an extension for starting quarterback money. In other words, it’s too late to make a change under center, and the organization is better off rolling out Geno because it knows the team can lose with him.
