Why the Raiders Should Feel Encouraged Moving Forward

They won this game despite their first-round pick, Ashton Jeanty, being inefficient on the ground. Geno Smith threw for 362 yards on 34 pass attempts, resulting in a touchdown as well as an interception.

In the future, once the run game is more in tune, they could rely less on his arm talent, as the Patriots' secondary was already dealing with injuries, and they don't want to have their offense be one-dimensional.

Week 1 Grade

John Breech is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and now that the majority of week 1 is in the books, he decided to release his grades for how each team did in their season opener. For the Raiders, he gave them an encouraging B+, citing their offense as a high point for the team.

"It's only been one game, but the Raiders' decision to make a trade for Geno Smith is looking like a brilliant one. The new Raiders quarterback diced up the Patriots defense for 362 yards, including a perfect 26-yard scoring strike to Tre Tucker on Las Vegas' opening possession", said Breech.

Smith looked in tune with his receivers all game. He did make an ill-advised throw, which resulted in his lone interception, but his willingness to throw the ball downfield is a welcome sight for Raider Nation, that's been so used to conservative offenses in the past couple of seasons.

"Smith had immediate chemistry with Brock Bowers (103 receiving yards) and Jakobi Meyers, who combined for 200 receiving yards. With this game, Pete Carroll became the oldest coach in NFL history and it's pretty clear that Father Time still hasn't figured out how to slow down Carroll".

All of the Raiders' additions in the offseason are already bearing fruit, and it's just week one. Not to overreact, but the Raiders have the talent and coaching staff to make every game obtainable for them. With that in mind, a playoff berth may be in play for the 2025 Raiders.