Where the Raiders Find Themselves Heading Into Week 12

Thomas Valentine is a sports writer for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article ranking each team heading into Week 12. After slowly dropping week after week, something had to give, and the Raiders dropped three spots after their loss to the Cowboys to become the 27th-ranked team in the NFL.

"Things aren’t clicking for Pete Carroll’s Raiders, especially on offense. The blocking from the offensive line (56.5 pass blocking grade; 25th, 54.8 run blocking grade; 26th) has set the offense back", said Valentine.

There's no hope for the 2025 Raiders to turn things around and make a push for the postseason. All they've done this season is crash and burn, and continuously, all Raider Nation and the rest of the NFL world can do is marvel at how they got themselves in this position.

"Quarterback Geno Smith (63.4 grade; 29th) was pressured on 40.8% of his dropbacks against the Cowboys and was sacked four times. Smith’s overall play has been disappointing, and he’s flatlined when pressured, throwing a league-leading six interceptions with a 42.4 grade. The Raiders were dominated by the Cowboys on Monday night and fell to 2-8 on the season. It’s hard to see where this team goes next".

Their next opponent is the Cleveland Browns , and they boast a defense even better than the Cowboys'. They're sure to put pressure on Geno Smith and cause the Raiders to lose the game when he inevitably throws an interception due to the stress Myles Garrett and the rest of the Browns' defensive line will get on their offensive line.

If the Raiders are able to rebound successfully against the Browns, their placement in the rankings will go up. However, they have to ask themselves whether they even want to win this game. The Browns are competing with them for a top pick in the 2026 NFL draft; a loss to them would improve their chances of sneaking into the top five picks.