Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) hands off the ball to Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders' Carroll is Not Concerned About This Obvious Issue

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders added veteran quarterback Geno Smith and running back Ashton Jeanty during the offseason. Eight games into the season, the Raiders' offense is still a work in progress.

Numbers Do Not Lie

So far this season, Smith has thrown the ball 119 more times than Jeanty has run it. Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including overtime, the Raiders passed the ball nearly 40 times. Jeanty only ran the ball 13 times. The Jaguars' offense possessed the ball for 43 minutes.

While Smith had a productive game, it could be argued that those passes took a toll on Smith and played an indirect role in the failed 2-point conversion at the end of the game. Regardless, the high number of passes left Las Vegas' defense on the field for far too long.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Although the Raiders' poor run blocking and falling behind early have led to more passing than running, the discrepancy still does not make sense. Las Vegas has thrown the ball over 100 times more than they have run it, with the quarterback who leads the league in interceptions.

The Raiders would be better off fine tuning their run blocking than continue on the course they have been on. What they are doing is clearly not leading to wins, which is all that matters. Las Vegas' coaching staff seems to think nothing of it.

Following the Raiders' loss to the Jaguars, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted that he is not concerned by the lack of balance between run and pass plays.

"No, that doesn't concern me. In the first half, we scored six points. In the second half, we did pretty well moving the football. So, we always want balance to some degree, but the balance will come when, at the end of the game, you get 10 runs in the fourth quarter. We didn't get that done," Carroll said.

"We just have to keep getting the ball out there. We had him out a lot, and the ball went down the field and all that. It is part of our thinking, yeah. It's not something we need to all of a sudden realize. He needs to get the ball out on the edge. He's difficult as can be to get down. The big plays are just waiting to happen. So, we certainly want to do that more."

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

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