Why Carroll's Assessment of Raiders' Blunder is Right and Wrong

The Las Vegas Raiders' blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed several things, whether Pete Carroll wants to admit it or not.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll talks with players on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are in the midst of a season that seems to hit a new low with the passing of each week. Every time it seems things cannot get any worse, they do. It happened again on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Questionable Conclusion

Las Vegas looked disinterested on Sunday from the very start. It is undeniable that the Eagles are the better team. It is also indisputable that players on both sides know this and that it affects their on-field play. The Raiders looked like a team that was mentally checked out from the opening kickoff.

Following the loss to the Eagles, Carroll stated that he did not believe his team reached a breaking point at any point during the loss. It has been a long season, but Carroll was still convinced his players had not reached a point of indifference. Carroll must have been watching a game than everyone else.

“I don't sense that at all. I don't think there was that issue. I think we got beat. This is a very, very well-loaded team and they just did their thing today on both sides of the ball and they really  took it to us,” Carroll said. 

“We couldn't stop the offense and get off the field, go down, get in their way, and they were able to do what they needed to do. They ran for a bunch, and they threw really highly efficient stuff. Wasn't taxing to them, [we] couldn't make it hard on them, and we couldn't get out of the way on offense.

Carroll went on to note that he did not believe Sunday's loss to the Eagles was an indictment of the Raiders' mental state. Carroll has watched his team lose in historic fashion. Yet he continues to put on a brave face, as the head coach should in this situation.

"So those third downs and all that, I don't think it's some big psych change that took place. I think we just got whipped by a really loaded football team that, on this day, had their way," Carroll said.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (54) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Why Carroll is Right and Wrong

Carroll is right that there was no point during the game that the Raiders reached a mental, physical, or emotional breaking point. However, what Carroll either fails to understand or refuses to admit publicly is that the Raiders hit that breaking point before the game even started.

The Raiders did not believe in themselves on Sunday. It would not have helped much, but they would have looked better. This team is broken. Even worse, the franchise is. The frigid temperatures of Philadelphia in December put that on display for the entire National Football League to see.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) passes the ball to running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

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