Where the Raiders Land in NFL Hierarchy Amidst Massive Struggles

The Las Vegas Raiders have had a horrible 2025 NFL season so far. Other than their first game of the season, nothing has gone right. They are losing games left and right, and they are not being competitive at all in their losses.

The Raiders are in the middle of a four-game losing streak, and the way that they've been playing, you cannot say that the Raiders see a way out of it. Head coach Pete Carroll, who has preached competition since the first day he got to Las Vegas, has not seen that.

The Raiders just got blown out of the gates in their Week 5 game. It was an embarrassing game for the Raiders from top to bottom. Once again, a game that they did not look prepared for. Now the Raiders are sitting at 1-4 and have way more questions than answers than they did coming into the season. It does not help the Raiders that their biggest free agent signing and starting quarterback, Geno Smith, has been playing some of his worst football in his NFL career.

Las Vegas Raiders QBs Kenny Pickett, and Geno Smith | Darrell Craig Harris, On S

Smith is leading the NFL in interceptions. He has nine of them through five weeks of the season. That is unacceptable. He has two games this season in which he has recorded three interceptions. The defense and the special teams have not been any better. The special teams for the Raiders have been horrible the whole season, and they need to get better. The defense has its good games, but then it looks like a defense that is lost on the field.

Raiders Recent Ranking

Conor Orr gave his recently NFL rankings after Week 5 and he had the Raiders at No. 28. There worst of the 2025 season so far.

Las Vegas Raiders OC Chip Kelly | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

28. Las Vegas Raiders (1–4)

Last week’s ranking: No. 26
Last week’s result: lost to Colts, 40–6
This week: vs. Titans

I think this is a Geno Smith problem and not a Chip Kelly problem. But I also think this becomes a Chip Kelly problem if he cannot figure out a way to minimize the Smith problem. Smith has one of the lowest catchable deep ball rates in the NFL—but how much of that is a reflection of the fact that this team still really needs pass catching weapons (and looked good going deep to Ashton Jeanty last week).

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