Raiders Starting Preparations for Week 1

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are getting set for the start of the new season. The Raiders are going into the new season as a whole different team than they were a year ago. It is going to be interesting to see what the Raiders have in store with all their new improvements from players and coaches. The Raiders will open up their 2025 NFL season across the country in New England against the Patriots.

The opening game is going to be important for the Silver and Black. They want to start fast. That is something they have not done in some time. Getting off to a fast start is going to be good for the Raiders. They do not have to play from behind when they get to the middle and backend of the season, if they get off to a good start. Carroll and veteran quarterback Geno Smith know it is important to do that.

The Raiders have already started their preparations for their first game of the season. They are trying to see if they can pick up anything from the preseason, but teams are probably not showing what they are going to do in the regular season.

"Our Hondo Carpenter talked about what the Raiders are going to do to prepare for their first game of the season on a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast."

Raiders Week 1

"This week in practice, now the shoes begin to change," said Carpenter. "It does begin to change. It is more of a free-for-all. This is going to be a big review week. Reviewing the basics of the offense. Next week is when they will start digging with game planning, even putting in new parts of the offense ... Some things they do not want to add until they cut their roster. Because they do not want to give a team an advantage."

"Hopefully, I get a chance to talk to Chip Kelly this week. But I am going to ask him, on average, you know how many new plays does he start the week to add ... They already have all their analysis. They have already looked at everybody, all the coordinators. They have looked at Mike Vrabel's history. They have looked at Drake Maye's shorty ... So they got to guess what kind of offense they are going to run."