Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrates his tackle in the backfield against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, on Aug. 23, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Examining Where the Raiders Stand Heading into the Season

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The first week of the 2025 regular season has arrived and the Las Vegas Raiders are on a mission to confirm they are on the right track.

Where the Raiders Stand

The Raiders look to surprise many who many do not understand how they have collectively improved. However, until that happens, the Raiders will continue to have doubters. Las Vegas must continue working hard to build upon the progress they made over the offseason.

Eric Edholm of NFL.com recently ranked every team in the National Football League heading into Week 1 of the regular season. He ranked the Raiders as the 25th-best team in the National Football League.

"The Raiders have only been in Vegas since 2020, and this is their fourth coaching staff since the move. Soon to be 74 years old, Pete Carroll also happens to be the league's oldest head coach, although few would know it from his energy level," Edholm said.

"That's going to be Carroll's meal ticket this season, I suspect, along with an offense that at least has the potential to become quite good, and others (perhaps rookie WR Dont'e Thornton) should make this a more threatening attack, and one that might be able to sustain and finish drives better. As for the defense, though, I'm hitting the brakes until I see what this unit is made of. is a beast, no doubt, but there are worrisome spots in multiple places on that side of the ball."

Following training camp, Pete Carroll explained how much he has enjoyed the process of turning things around in Las Vegas.

"I don't know how to measure how excited I am, but this has just been so much fun, really, to get into this with this club and this ownership. With all the challenges that go along with that, to be able to create our own roster with all that freedom that we got. Johnny [John Spytek] and I really feel great about the process that we've gone through,” Carroll said.

“We continue to compete, to add to it, but it's worked out really well, and it represents the hard work that we put in. It represents the time. It represents the culture and philosophy that we're standing for. We added a lot of really physical, tough guys, tough minded guys, really competitive people, and that's only going to make you better. So, it's really been fun. We got a couple days and then we're ready to rock and roll with the game plan, so it's really good."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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