Why Bright Lights of MNF Hold Key to Raiders' 2025

The Las Vegas overcame hurdles in Week 1 and must do so again in Week 2, as the country watches.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Monday night will give the Las Vegas Raiders their first chance to play on primetime under Pete Carroll, following a convincing road win against the New England Patriots on Sunday. The Raiders can make even more progress on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Raiders Are Ready for the Bright Lights

Carroll spoke before the team's practice on Thursday. Carroll explained how significant Monday Night Football is to many players and coaches around the league. Few people who work in and around the National Football League fail to get excited about MNF.

As Carroll noted, most professional football players dreamed about playing on MNF in front of the entire country.

"Well, Monday Night Football has been something big to all of us for all the time we've been around, and we talked to the team about that today. Some of our guys, when they were little kids, were dreaming about playing on Monday night. So, it is a big deal. We have to handle it really well. If you've looked at our days in Seattle, we've done pretty well on Monday night," Carroll said.

"And you expect to continue to find that consistency that you need in that situation and not let everything get your head and take you out of your game. So, it's a really big deal to have this opportunity for us because we have a couple of other primetime games coming up later on in the schedule, and I want our guys to really embrace those opportunities."

Most players look forward to the opportunity to play on Monday night. However, for rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, it is his first primetime game. Still, he plans to approach the primetime divisional game as if it were just another game. This approach could help him alleviate some of the pressure.

"Yeah, I mean, it is just another game. It happens to be Monday Night Football. All eyes on us, so I'm excited for it,” Jeanty said. 

The Raiders must clean up a few aspects of their game before they face the Chargers. Since the Raiders are 1-0, they have a little more room for error than had they lost on Sunday. Still, the Raiders must take advantage of their opportunities. Monday night is one those opportunities.

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