The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL.
After Pete Carroll was hired, there was hope in Raider Nation that Las Vegas could at least compete for a playoff spot.
Coming into Sunday’s game against the rival Denver Broncos, the Raiders are 2-10 and have already been eliminated from playoff contention. Since the franchise’s last Super Bowl appearance in 2003, this type of season is a common occurrence.
As for Sunday’s game, the Broncos head to Las Vegas as -7.5-point favorites. The total
sits at over/under 40.5 points, with a lean towards the under at -118.
Given the hiring of Carroll and taking Ashton Jeanty with a first-round pick, was this kind of showing in the cards? And how much of the blame falls on owner Mark Davis?
We go “behind enemy lines” to get a feel for the Raiders heading into Sunday Night Football with Matt Holder from Silver and Black Pride to preview Sunday’s game.
MHR: How much of a disappointment has this season been for the Raiders? When the season started, was this kind of showing in the cards?
Matt: Pete Carroll spent most of the offseason talking about his resume and began training camp bragging about how many times he’s won 10 games in his career. Also, while Geno Smith was never considered the long-term solution at quarterback, he was supposed to be a quality stopgap option and the best signal-caller the Raiders have had since moving on from Derek Carr three years ago. Obviously, that hasn’t happened since the team already has 10 losses and Smith is tied for the most interceptions in the NFL.
Heading into the season, I didn’t think Las Vegas would be a legitimate playoff contender, but I did think they’d fall somewhere in the seven-to-nine-win range. Instead, they’ve been uncompetitive in the majority of their contests and are clearly one of the worst teams in the league. Long story short, it’s definitely been a disappointing campaign!
MHR: What does the future hold for Pete Carroll? How likely is it that the Raiders move on from Carroll after the season?
Matt: It’s tough to say because I’m sure Mark Davis isn’t thrilled about the idea of paying another coach to not work for him anymore. Plus, constantly churning through head coaches is part of the reason the organization is in this position, seeing as it’s on head coach No. 4 (five if you include Rich Bisaccia’s interim stint) since moving to Sin City in 2020.
That being said, the Raiders are clearly headed toward a multi-year rebuild, and it doesn’t really make sense to do that with a head coach who will be 75 years old next September. Also, there has been a lot of finger-pointing through the media over the last few weeks, indicating that Carroll and general manager John Spytek are butting heads. Despite the team being out of contention, Carroll is being stubborn and refusing to play the rookies outside of Ashton Jeanty, which has reportedly irked the general manager.
Given all of that, if I had to place a bet on Carroll’s future with the club, my money is on him getting fired.
MHR: How much of the blame for this season and the state of the franchise falls on Mark Davis?
Matt: Davis has a 93-147 record with two winning seasons since taking over as principal owner in 2011. Meanwhile, he’s hired seven full-time head coaches and five full-time general managers, making him the common denominator in what’s been a brutal 15 years for a franchise that has a strong history.
I’ll give Mark some credit; it’s not like he’s late-stage Al Davis by meddling in football decisions too much. He’s taken a hands-off approach as owner, but the results have been terrible. In my opinion, he should be held accountable for the current state of the franchise. You can only make so many bad hires before it’s clear that you’re the problem. Hopefully, Tom Brady can help steady the ship, but year one of Brady being a minority owner hasn’t exactly inspired confidence in Raider Nation.
MHR: Where is the level of excitement for the future? Is there anything to get behind when it comes to the franchise?
Matt: This kind of ties into my answer to your question about Carroll’s job security. To me, the most frustrating thing about this season is that the immediate future doesn’t look any brighter since the young guys haven’t gotten much playing time.
I like comparing this season to the 2014 campaign for the Raiders. They finished 3-13 that year, but there was more optimism since that team was led by rookies like Derek Carr and Khalil Mack, among other young players, to give the fanbase hope for the future. The club went on to go 7-9 the following season and then ended the franchise’s playoff drought by going 12-4 in 2016. Meanwhile, the 2025 squad has a defense that’s full of veterans on one-year contracts and a 35-year-old quarterback who is underperforming.
The only exciting part about the Raiders’ future is that they seem destined for a top-five pick, which could yield a long-term quarterback or premier player, and potentially, a new head coach who can develop the nine draft picks on the current roster.
MHR: As for the game, what do you want to see from Las Vegas on Sunday? And what is your prediction?
Matt: A score prediction is tough because Denver is clearly the better team, but it’s not as if they’re winning convincingly this season, including a 10-7 bout the last time these teams met. Granted, I do think a few players on Las Vegas’ roster are starting to quit, so I could see this week’s matchup being more lopsided. A good example of that comes from their two matchups against the Chargers this year, losing 20-9 in Week 2 and 31-14 last Sunday.
I’ll go 28-10 Broncos.
