Three Takeaways From the Raiders’ Latest Failure

The Search for a Head Coach Continues

One of the many things that separates the Raiders from the rest of the teams in their division is that they lack a franchise head coach. They thought that's what they were getting when they convinced Pete Carroll to be their head coach, but he's shown consistently that he has simply lost his touch.

Simply put, what does Carroll do for this team that others cannot? He isn't contributing in the wins department, he's lost all support from Raider Nation, and he can't even get his own players under control. Maxx Crosby shoving Justin Herbert on the field after the play was over is indicative of how much he's lost this locker room. Crosby is an outspoken player and a notorious trash talker, but that outburst of emotion shows an undisciplined team, and that falls on the head coach.

The Raiders gave up 50 yards in penalties, and it should be clear to everyone in their organization that Carroll is not the head coach to lead them into the future. All of his decisions have been poor, including the decision to hire his son as their offensive line coach.

One of the most under-the-radar aspects of the 2025 Raiders is that Brennan Carroll is their offensive line coach and is largely responsible for how much of a vulnerability they are. The only reason he hasn't been demoted or fired is that he's the head coach's son. Any other team would've at least attempted a personnel change given how bad their offensive line has been this season. Their performance against the Chargers wasn't any different. They allowed five sacks after giving up ten sacks against the Cleveland Browns.

Drafting Mistakes Will Catch Up to Them

Speaking of the Browns, Shedeur Sanders didn't have a good performance after beating the Raiders in Week 12. Yet, his stat line was comparable to that of Geno Smith's against the Chargers. That tells me one thing: the Raiders made a mistake by passing up on Sanders.

Even if the Smith signing and extension were inevitable, they had multiple chances to draft Sanders and have him as their backup, potential franchise quarterback. Smith's longest play this season has been for 61 yards, and Sanders has already surpassed that in just two starts. Even if Sanders doesn't blossom into an NFL star, this decision will haunt them due to how poorly Smith has played this season. They don't have anyone waiting in the wings to take his position, and they're unwillingness to bench Smith shows how much faith they have in Kenny Pickett.

Passing up on Smith isn't the only mistake the Raiders made in the 2025 draft. The decision to select Ashton Jeanty sixth overall continues to age like milk, and it's time for the blame to start falling on the rookie. He's playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and his offensive coordinator was just fired, but he has not shown any improvement throughout the course of his rookie season.

He's still a non-factor in picking up blitzes, and his strengths aren't making up for that fact. His best attribute as a rookie is that he can make magic with the ball in his hands with open space, but as a rusher of the football, he hasn't shown much to write home about this season.

Give Bowers the Ball

Brock Bowers had two receiving touchdowns against the Chargers, and one of them is possibly the highlight of the year for the Silver and Black. With Chip Kelly gone, Greg Olson did a good job of getting Bowers the ball, and that should be the norm from now on. He's the best player they have on offense, he should be their main target every game.