INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.–The Las Vegas Raiders knew it would take time to realistically make the type of turnaround the organization has needed for some time. Still, no one could have predicted the 2025 season would start this way. It is evident the Raiders’ lack of depth is a problem.
Las Vegas faced off against the Indianapolis Colts minus Brock Bowers, Kolton Miller, Michael Mayer and others. However, that is no excuse for their performance on Sunday.
Simply put. the Raiders are in trouble. Carroll came to Vegas with a winning pedigree but to this point has been unable to turn the Raiders into winners. In fact, Carroll and the Raiders have not even been competitive since Week 1, with the Raiders making a strong argument for the NFL’s worst-performing team over the last month.
What is there for the Raiders to hang their hat on after Week 5? That is the question Carroll and his staff must now ask themselves after another lopsided loss. Few expected the Raiders to make a playoff run this season, but even fewer expected them to get blown out week after week and not even having a chance in most of their contests.
The Issues for the Raiders are plentiful at this point. There is a clear talent deficit on both sides of the ball that is putting the Raiders behind the eight ball, and it will take more than one offseason to truly rebuild the roster after years of misses by the past regimes.
It does not help that the best player from the last regime’s lone draft — Brock Bowers — has been injured since Week 1 and sat out of Sunday’s game. Bowers’ knee injury has sapped him of his unique athleticism and he has hardly looked like himself, and it is worth wondering if the Raiders have truly managed his injury with the proper strategy.
Then there is Geno Smith. The Raiders landed Smith this offseason in a blockbuster move and proceeded to pay him before he took a snap for the Silver and Black. Since then, Smith has turned into a turnover machine.
Carroll needs to find answers, and quickly. In Week 5, he had very few.
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