Pete Carroll Sounds Panic Button After Raiders’ 1-4 Start

Perhaps the most concerning part about the Raiders’ 1-4 start is how uncompetitive they’ve looked in recent weeks. Three of the Raiders’ four losses have come by double-digits, and while Carroll is trying to stay positive, he also acknowledged that the team is inching closer to big trouble.

“I’m just kind of waiting for that moment where we kick it in, we have the answers, we make the right choices, we make the right plays, the right calls,” Carroll said.

“It’s on all of us,” he continued. “It’s not on the players, it’s on all of us to get that right, myself totally included in all of that.”

No coach, let alone one with nearly 30 years of experience, should admit that they’re still waiting to find the “answers” and “right choices.” Carroll only posted one losing season from 2012 through 2023, with the team’s leadership and discipline playing significant roles in their consistent success.

What’s Next for Pete Carroll and the Raiders?

If the Raiders intend to right the ship, they need to do so immediately. Las Vegas hosts Tennessee (1-4) next Sunday before an Oct. 19 road showdown with the rival Kansas City Chiefs (2-2). Carroll and the Raiders cannot afford to enter their Week 8 bye at 2-5 (or 1-6) if they have any hopes of reaching the postseason.

That’s also assuming that a 1-4 start hasn’t already doomed them, though. Only 16 teams in NFL history have lost four of their first five and still secured a playoff berth. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they play in one of the league’s toughest divisions; both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are 3-2, though injuries are quickly piling up for the latter team.

FanDuel Sportsbook nonetheless listed the Raiders as early -5.5 favorites (-115, meaning a $100 bet would net a $186.96 payout) over the Titans. It’s a game that we won’t blame football fans for avoiding watching — and at this rate, we wouldn’t fault Carroll if he also wanted to look away.