Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube (23) during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Why the Raiders' Biggest Hurdle Is Easy to Find

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are 2 - 7, and after all of the new additions they brought onto the team during the offseason. I'm sure a lot of members of Raider Nation are scratching their heads, wondering, How did we get to this point? The answer's more complicated than you think, but the best way I can summarize it is that the Raiders made a lot of moves, but they were all bad.

The Geno Smith trade hasn't worked out at all, and now his availability is in question for the foreseeable future. Drafting Ashton Jeanty was a sign of good faith for their fanbase, but it may have been too early for an offensive line not ready to sustain a successful rushing attack. Finally, Pete Carroll is not the head coach he once was, and he hasn't brought a drop of culture or grittiness to the city of Las Vegas.

Week 10 Grades

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

John Breech is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he graded each team based on their Week 10 performance. For the Raiders, their latest loss to the Denver Broncos earned them a C grade, which goes to show there aren't even moral victories for the 2025 Raiders.

"This game basically epitomized by the Raiders are 2-7 this year. The defense had its best performance of the season, but that went to waste because the Raiders made mistake after mistake after mistake", said Breech.

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The Raiders can never seem to get out of their own way, and the final score reflects that. This team is so confusing because they can show glimpses of excellence on both sides of the floor, but they can never do it at the same time.

Their talent never seems to gel together, and this team feels lopsided, with no direction. They have no bye week to look forward to; they'll have to take this loss on the chin and prepare for the Dallas Cowboys next week. Carroll was brought in to help fix the confusion around this team, and all he's done is exacerbate it.