Against the Odds: Raiders Face Heavy Doubt Entering Week 5 vs. Colts

Raiders have lost all their goodwill

On the bright side, the Las Vegas Raiders have managed to stay within striking distance of two of their losses: Week 2's 20-9 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers and their last shortcoming against the Chicago Bears. Both games saw Geno Smith throw three interceptions. If he can manage not to do that, the Raiders might be able to rattle off some surprising wins this year.

However, Las Vegas' abysmal play so far this season has earned them quite a bit of disdain. They're substantial underdogs going into Week 5's clash with the Indianapolis Colts. All five editors on NFL.com's panel picked the Raiders to lose this Sunday by an average margin of 8.6 points. Brooke Cersosimo predicted that Indy would take it, 30-21:

"Mistakes marred both the Colts and Raiders last week, from Adonai Mitchell's goal-line gaffe to Indy having 10 defenders on the field during the Rams' game-winning TD, and from Vegas' four turnovers to the Silver & Black having the potential game-winning FG blocked. Frustrations abound!

The Colts are in better position to quickly get past last week's headaches, as they hold a majority of matchup advantages on both sides of the ball. Indy's retooled O-line has done a great job early, paving the way for league rushing leader Jonathan Taylor to get to the second level and allowing Daniel Jones enough time to find his targets downfield.

Jones, to his credit, has also played well under pressure, generating the highest dropback success rate (61.5%) and gaining the most passing yards (470) of any QB against the blitz in 2025, per NGS.

There's a lot of pressure on Maxx Crosby and friends to limit Indy's balanced attack because, while Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers possess game-changing powers, one Raiders player has largely stood in the way of the team's success: Geno Smith.

The veteran leads the NFL with seven INTs, all occurring on downfield passes of at least 10 yards, third-most by any QB through the first four weeks of any season in the NGS era (since 2016). And now, he'll attempt to forge ahead without blind-side protector Kolton Miller. Pete Carroll's team has grit and components of a winner, but right now, its QB is sinking the ship."