What Pete Carroll Needs to See From Raiders on TNF

LAS VEGAS, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders are on to Week 10, as they are set to face the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Las Vegas is coming off an overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They hope to snap their two-game losing streak against their AFC West foe.

The Raiders have lost multiple games they should have won. Thursday night is a chance for them to win a game many do not believe they will. Unexpected things happen on Thursday nights around the National Football League. Maybe that will work in their favor.

Watch Everything Carroll Said Below

For a transcript of Carroll's comments, read below.

Q: You're entering Week 10, but you've seen every phase of your team, at different times, perform very well this season. How pertinent is it to get that complete game?

Head Coach Pete Carroll: "Well, yeah, we need to against these guys for sure. They're playing great football, and we're going to have to answer in all phases. We have to take care of the football on offense, we're going to have stop them and get off the field on third down, we can't have any issues on special teams and to keep this thing clean to have a chance. And when you're playing a big-time team like these guys are, that's how you have to play. And so, we take this as a championship opportunity for us."

Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith, Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Q: But as a coach, don't you have to be encouraged? You've seen it from all of them.

Coach Carroll: "Well, being the forever optimist, I'm always kind of encouraged. I kind of live encouraged, and so I do see a lot of positive stuff, and we're just trying to make it happen at the same time so that we can go in and get the wins that we want. And this would be a great opportunity to show that."

Q: Would you expect, especially with Jakobi Meyers gone, that Dont'e Thornton Jr. would be active this week?

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, he'll be active."

Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) drops back to make a pass during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Q: What do you want to see from him?

Coach Carroll: "I want him to just play football. Just keep growing. He's growing every day we're together. He gains more experience and more confidence to do things exactly the way we want him to. He always has played hard, and we're just counting on him to just keep going. This is a great chance for him to answer. It's a great chance for Lock [Tyler Lockett] to go ahead and answer too and help us out. And it'll be spread across the board. But I'm anxious for D [Dont'e Thornton Jr.] to be up. I did not like not having him last week."

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Q: Do you expect Lonnie Johnson Jr. to be able to go?

Coach Carroll: "I do. Lonnie's [Johnson Jr.] going to go."

Q: What do you think is the most important thing you want to see from your team on a short week in terms of rest and recovery and being prepared?

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, well, we've taken care of them. I mean, we've been doing this a long time on these Thursdays, and so we've taken care of them. They'll be as fast as they can be. I'm not worried about that part of it. We got to make sure we tackle better and make sure that we answer the call there. I don't have any question that these guys are ready to go. We took care of them in a good fashion."

Q: On a short week when you're trying to get them recovered, how do you work on tackling when you're not real physical?

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, it's really hard. You have to use your imagination on all these snaps that we take, which is something that you have to do throughout the offseason. And so, it's not an uncommon theme that you have to picture yourself in the situation and how you would handle it and how you would execute. And so, it comes in handy in a week like this."

Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll, IsaIah Pola-Mao | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Silver and Black when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Not only is it 100% FREE, but we also don’t spam you or sell your information. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

.We'd appreciate it if you would follow us on X @HondoCarpenter, @EZTrez_SI and IG @HondoSr , and we also invite you to visit our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE