Raiders’ Collapse Deepens: Coaches Unravel After Broncos Loss

Everything went the Las Vegas Raiders’ way early against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. For a brief moment, a national audience saw a version of the Silver and Black that looked far better than its record.

Then the real Raiders showed up…

The 10-7 defeat was another missed opportunity for coach Pete Carroll to spark a turnaround. A week after losing a high-scoring overtime thriller to Jacksonville, the Raiders proved they can lose low-scoring games just as effectively.

This one also produced a new low in a season steadily circling the drain. Special teams coordinator Tom McMahon became the first Raiders assistant to get the axe after his unit’s latest meltdown—a blocked punt and a missed field goal by Daniel Carlson.

Whether McMahon will be the only coach to go remains to be seen, but the odds aren’t good.

Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly may be next in line. Somehow, he managed to keep the ball out of the hands of his top weapon, tight end Brock Bowers. After Bowers’ lone catch—an impressive 31-yard grab—Kelly followed up with a questionable quarterback sneak on 3rd-and-2. When that failed, a touchdown by Tre Tucker was wiped out by an offensive pass interference call on rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr.

The problem is deeper than just the play-calling…

Kelly’s play-calling isn’t the only problem. The Raiders’ offensive line continues to struggle, so there’s that. The absence of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who was traded to Jacksonville, has exposed the team’s inexperience. Rookie Jack Bech nullified a 32-yard run by Ashton Jeanty with a holding penalty. You also have Thornton, who dropped a perfectly placed deep ball from Geno Smith just before halftime—a moment that could have swung the game.

In short, the Raiders are a mess. The roster is a poorly assembled bag of groceries—to borrow from Bill Parcells—and Carroll’s staff hasn’t been able to coach around it, even with a generational talent like Bowers. After the latest rookie miscues, it’s fair to question whether first-year general manager John Spytek is the right man to do the shopping. He’s safe for now, but Carroll’s job security looks far shakier.

Still, the Raiders didn’t get blown out. A national audience had a reason to keep watching—if only to see how they’d lose this time. Their next test comes Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, another chance to show whether this team can surprise anyone. Don’t bet on it.