Raiders’ Pete Carroll Updates How Travis Hunter Injury Changes Things

LAS VEGAS, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders enter Week 9 aiming to win for just the third time this season. Las Vegas cannot let a winnable game against the Jacksonville Jaguars slip through their fingers. Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll must have his team prepared.

Watch Carroll Discuss Below

Q: With them not having Travis Hunter, it's kind of like you prepare on both sides of the ball. There's kind of an adjustment, right? I mean, how different is that to have one guy out but two kind of?

Head Coach Pete Carroll: "Yeah, they lose at least one and a half in terms of play time and all that, but they've really been featuring him more on offense lately. But we think he's terrific as a coverage guy, and he's just such a good all-around athlete.

I mean, all of the buildup and the hype and the Heisman and all that was warranted, man. He's a great football player. That's significant, I know for them, but it doesn't change us any in what we're doing. We're playing against their guys anyway, so we don't know how much he was going to play on either side. So, we have to wait that out."

Q: This morning, Liam Coen said they were going to have to adjust their offensive game plan because he's not going to be there. How much of an unknown factor does that bring in for you guys in terms of what adjustment they might make?

Coach Carroll: "I think he had 10 or 11 targets or something last week, so he's a significant part of their thinking, and they run with him, they block with him, they do everything with him down the field and underneath and all that stuff. So, yeah, you lose a guy like that, it changes because the whole plan Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday was to go with him. So, what they do, we don't know. They've got other good players too, though, and so, they can fill their spots that we think. But it's hard to lose a guy like that."

Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) rolls out to pass during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Q: I know you were optimistic early in the week about Maxx Crosby and Adam Butler. Are they both on track?

Coach Carroll: "Yeah, they're ready to go. We're really in great shape. We're really going to have only two guys that would be listed out, and that's Aidan [O'Connell] and Lonnie [Johnson Jr.]. So, everybody else is ready to go. It really feels like we are back to where we started from, except for with Kolton [Miller], and fortunately, Stone [Forsythe] has done a really nice job at left tackle, and it hasn't looked like a big change. It is, but he's done a good job with it. So, this is as strong as we've felt in a while, and I'm hoping that'll show up in our play."

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

Q: Talking about Travis Hunter not being there, but what stands out to you most about the way Liam Coen calls a game offensively?

Coach Carroll: "He's got all of the good stuff that's going around the league. The tree that he comes from is really the one that I respect the most in terms of innovation and creativity and really good fundamental aspects with their offense. He's representing all those guys. So, it's a big offense. They do a lot of stuff. You can't just zero in on this or that. They love to run the football. They're willing to stay with it when they can. Their play action game is good. Their premier stuff off the running game is there, and they really trust the quarterback. They have a lot of downfield routes and concepts that call for a big arm, and fortunately for them, Trevor's [Lawrence] got it."

Raiers — Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Q: I know you're healthier now from the bye. It's a different looking team than it was last time you guys stepped on the field, but do you feel your team did a good job moving on from what happened in Kansas City?

Coach Carroll: "We'll find out. I can tell you what it felt like at practice. We had a terrific -- the three days before up to Monday, bonus Monday, that we had, and then these days were as well as we've practiced. Everybody can kind of feel that we're feeling good, and that adds to it. And so, hopefully we can come out of here and play good, clean football. We got to do all of the basic things. We got to do a great job in a kicking game. No issues there. We got to take care of the football. This is a big freaking turnover team now. These guys have been on fire getting the ball away from their opponents, and we're going to have to do the kind of things on defense that can keep Trevor [Lawrence] really from controlling the game. And so, we're going to see if we can put that together."

Q: Based off of what you've seen this week in practice, how would you say Tyler Lockett has looked, and just based off of how he looked in practice, what do you think his role could be this Sunday?

Coach Carroll: "Well, I need to see the film today because this would be only three days with him. He did some good things on every day. G [Geno Smith] used him a couple times today, it went great, and we got him enough reps so he has a chance to play in this game. But we'll make that decision here as we get through the film today. If Lock [Tyler Lockett] can play and we want to go with him, I know that he and Geno really have a big history, and they've got a connection that you can't get other than being together for seven or eight years, whatever the heck it was. So, we'll see what happens with that. I'm encouraged by the way he looked on the practice field."

Q: Does anything about your approach to the game or managing reps, anything like that, change knowing you have a Thursday game ahead?

Coach Carroll: "No, not until we have a chance to do that late in the game. And we'll see what happens with the game allows us, but that's just the way you do it. We have a routine that we'll go through next week, and they'll have theirs, and we'll see if we can match it up really well and take advantage of whatever happens in this one going into the next."

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