Las Vegas Raiders Spiral Continues as Carroll Searches for Answers Amid 2-10 Season
LAS VEGAS - Pete Carroll has built a career on optimism, but even his trademark enthusiasm is starting to sound like a broken record in a season where hope has been in short supply. At 2-10, the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t just struggling - they’re grasping. And with each passing week, the search for a “winning formula” feels more like a punchline than a plan.
Firing special teams coordinator Tom McMahon and offensive assistant Chip Kelly was the latest move in a season full of desperate swings. But let’s be honest - that’s less a bold strategic shift and more like hitting the reset button and hoping the game magically plays better the second time around.
A Schedule That Offers No Mercy
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier. The Raiders are 7½-point underdogs at home to a Denver Broncos team that just won a game 10-7 - and celebrated it like a playoff victory.
After that? It’s a gauntlet: Philadelphia, Houston, the Giants, and Kansas City.
Realistically, only the Giants look vulnerable, and even that feels like a reach for a team averaging just 14.9 points per game - the third-worst mark in franchise history.
At this point, the win-loss column has taken a back seat to draft positioning. Whether the Raiders finish with two wins or sneak out a third, the difference is negligible. The focus now shifts to what comes next - and how to avoid a repeat of a season that’s veering dangerously close to the depths of the 2006 campaign.
Offensive Woes Reach New Lows
Carroll tried to shake things up in Sunday’s 31-14 loss to the Chargers, mixing up the offensive line in hopes of jump-starting a sputtering unit. The result?
Outside of a meaningless garbage-time drive, the Raiders managed just 91 total yards. That’s not just bad - that’s “we-might-need-to-start-over” bad.
And the problems go deeper than just Xs and Os. The Raiders are staring down the consequences of a draft class that hasn’t delivered and a free-agent haul that looks better on paper than it does on the field. Carroll continues to highlight the positives - “the stuff we did well,” he said after the game - but it’s getting harder to find those silver linings without a microscope.
A Lone Bright Spot in the Secondary
If there’s one player providing a glimmer of hope, it’s rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly. He recorded his third interception in four games on Sunday, a rare highlight for a defense that’s spent most of the season stuck in survival mode. His emergence is a promising sign, especially in a secondary that’s been tested early and often.
But even Kelly’s rise can’t mask the broader issues. This is a team that’s found creative ways to lose - from a blocked field goal in a tight game against Chicago, to a failed two-point conversion against Jacksonville, to a halftime tie with the Chargers that quickly unraveled in the second half.
Looking Ahead - Because That’s All That’s Left
There’s no sugarcoating it: this season has been a grind. And while Carroll continues to preach positivity, Raider Nation is running out of patience. The fanbase has seen this movie before, and they know how it ends.
The final stretch of the season won’t be about wins and losses - it’ll be about identifying who’s part of the solution going forward. Because right now, the Raiders aren’t just losing games. They’re losing time, and the clock is ticking on a rebuild that still feels stuck in neutral.