Las Vegas Raiders Struggle Through 1-4 NFL Start Amid Organizational Struggles

The 2025 Las Vegas Raiders are enduring a notably poor season under head coach Pete Carroll, starting 1-4 and suffering a heavy 40-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, their worst defeat since 2014. Despite Carroll's proven record of building successful programs in previous roles, the Raiders are struggling due to a combination of ineffective quarterback play from Geno Smith, defensive weaknesses, and organizational instability. Critics highlight Smith's performance as a major issue, with his league-leading interceptions undermining the offense, and the team lacking the cohesion needed to compete effectively. Ownership and management decisions, including the involvement of high-profile figures like Tom Brady, have so far failed to translate into on-field success, raising doubts about the timeline and patience for rebuilding. Carroll acknowledges the longer-than-expected process of improvement and emphasizes the need to eliminate costly mistakes such as turnovers and special teams errors. The Raiders' ongoing dysfunction has drawn harsh criticism, with analysts suggesting that without significant changes, the team faces a multi-year struggle to return to competitiveness.