Raiders Hit Rock Bottom in Philly as Pressure Mounts on Pete Carroll
PHILADELPHIA - If Pete Carroll’s seat was warm heading into Sunday, the blowtorch got turned up to full blast after what unfolded at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Las Vegas Raiders delivered one of the most anemic offensive performances in franchise history, managing just 75 total yards and averaging a meager 1.8 yards per play in a 31-0 loss to the Eagles. That’s not just a bad day at the office - that’s historically bad. For a team steeped in the “Just win, baby” ethos, this was about as far from that identity as it gets.
After the game, Carroll didn’t dodge the heat. In fact, he pointed straight to the internal pressure he feels every day.
“There’s so much pressure that comes right from here,” Carroll said, pointing to his stomach. “Nobody can pressure me more than myself. My expectations and the standards that I’ve lived by and work by are so high that they’re almost impossible to meet.”
That mindset has fueled Carroll’s long coaching career, but on Sunday, the results spoke louder than any philosophy. The 75-yard output was the second-worst in the Raiders’ 66-year history, and the stat sheet was a lopsided mess.
The Eagles dominated time of possession, 39:25 to 20:35, and racked up 27 first downs to the Raiders’ seven. That’s not just losing - that’s getting buried.
With the loss, the Raiders dropped their eighth straight, falling to 2-12 on the season - tied for the worst record in the league alongside the Giants. And with just three games left, the question isn’t just about finishing strong - it’s whether Carroll will even make it to Year 2 in Las Vegas.
Still, Carroll stood firm in defending his players’ effort, even if the execution was lacking.
“These guys fought their asses off,” he said. “That was the result.
They didn’t stop fighting. That was the result of our play right there.
I have a lot of respect for the roster we just played against… they played like they were capable and we couldn’t stop [them].”
The Raiders couldn’t get anything going - not through the air, not on the ground. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty led the team with 35 rushing yards on nine carries, and even he admitted the team didn’t respond the way they needed to.
“We’re going to keep playing and we’re going to keep fighting,” Jeanty said. “It’s on us to come and play a better game than we did today.”
Jeanty said Carroll’s message hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. The coach is still trying to rally the locker room, encouraging players to find their own reasons to keep pushing through a lost season.
“He’s told us to just keep going, and no matter what has happened this season, we are still playing for something,” Jeanty said. “Whatever it may be for us personally, find that and keep going and keep playing.
But I definitely do not feel like we responded to that today. It was an embarrassing performance.”
Kenny Pickett, starting in place of the injured Geno Smith, was under constant pressure and never found a rhythm. The former Eagles quarterback completed 15 of 25 passes for 64 yards, tossed an interception, and failed to lead a single scoring drive. After the game, he credited the Eagles’ front four for dictating the tempo.
“They were able to get pressure with four and drop seven,” Pickett said. “We needed to help the defense out… stay on the field, get into a rhythm, and let those guys rest. I feel like they’re always out there.”
That theme - the defense being left out to dry - has been a recurring one for the Raiders this season. The offense simply hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
Veteran wideout Tyler Lockett didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We just lost,” he said. “There was not one thing that you could attribute it to.
They did a great job coming out there. They held the ball for a while, which kept us off the field on offense.
Offensively, we have to be able to keep drives alive.”
The Eagles converted 10 of 13 third downs. That’s how you control a game - and that’s how you bury a team that’s already reeling.
Now, with three games left in a season that’s spiraled beyond repair, the Raiders are staring at more than just a rough record. They’re playing for jobs - coaches, players, everyone. The front office will be watching closely to see who’s still fighting, who’s still locked in, and who might be part of the solution moving forward.
As Lockett put it, there’s only one way to go from here:
“The only direction for us to go is up.”