Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Truth Behind Why Raiders Are Stuck in Neutral

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders cannot seem to get out of their own way. They spent all of the off-season preparing for the 2025 season by adding pieces they thought would help them out. Before the season began, I thought this team was a dark-horse playoff contender.

I believed in Pete Carroll and the success he could bring to the Raiders, but everything he's done as the head coach of the Raiders has blown up in his face. Geno Smith hasn't panned out whatsoever, and the decision to make Chip Kelly the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league ages worse and worse each week.

Missed Opportunity

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Tyler Sullivan is a sports writer for CBS Sports , and he wrote an article going over some of the biggest developments that occurred in week 7. One of the biggest things he identified was Kenny Pickett fumbling his opportunity to distinguish himself from Smith when he took over in their embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

"The Raiders are broken on offense, and Geno Smith doesn't seem to be the answer. With seven minutes left in the 31-0 blowout against the Chiefs, Pete Carroll sent Smith to the bench for Kenny Pickett", said Sullivan.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Raiders are stuck, regardless of the direction they choose to take. They have seen enough footage to know that Smith isn't going to take control over their offense and lead them anywhere meaningful. If Pickett got them in field goal range, that would've been enough for the Raiders to feel confident about him as their starter moving forward. However, he couldn't even do that.

"One would think Pickett would want to use this opportunity to possibly push the conversation towards him getting a crack as the starter and put his best foot forward. Well, the opposite happened. On his very first snap, Pickett bobbled it, the ball hit the ground, and Kansas City recovered the fumble. Not exactly a compelling case for a quarterback change".

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

A mental error on the first snap of the season for Pickett shows that he was unprepared for the moment and showed the Raiders that they are stuck in quarterback purgatory. I still believe Pickett should be given a full game of playing time before a definitive decision is made, but it's a shame that he wasn't able to put his best foot forward.

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

More must-reads: