2 Revelatory Fantasy Stats from Raiders' Flop vs. Broncos

For a second straight week, the Las Vegas Raiders showed some truly encouraging signs of improvement coming out of their bye. And for a second straight game, the Raiders fell just short against a likely playoff team. First, they lost by one in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a failed two-point conversion for the win.

While they couldn't come away with the dub, Las Vegas' defense was able to keep the Jags contained throughout the entire first half and a majority of the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Raiders' offense turned it on admirably and kept pace with Jacksonville during its late-game surge. They even gave Head Coach Pete Carroll a chance to tie the game, but he elected to go for the win instead and came up short.

Against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, Las Vegas didn't get nearly as much offense, scoring just seven points and garnering only 188 total yards. Still, the Raiders had an opportunity to knot up the score at 10 with a 48-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Daniel Carlson couldn't hit it.

What went right, what went wrong

Las Vegas Raiders, NFL, Denver Broncos, Geno Smith — Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) is sacked for a loss against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

1. Geno Smith - six sacks on 21 pressures

There's a belief that Geno Smith takes an unnecessary amount of sacks, opting to hold on to the ball too long and failing to feel the pocket properly. The numbers back this up, as he currently holds a pressure-to-sack rate of 23.3 percent, which ranks 23rd among quarterbacks with at least 78 dropbacks.

Against the Denver Broncos and their elite pass rush, Smith took six sacks on 21 pressures, for a rate of 28.6 percent. The Las Vegas Raiders came out of the bye with a clear mandate to get the ball out quicker to try to mitigate the porousness of their offensive line. It didn't work very well when matched up with an elite defense like Denver's. This is something that Raiders fantasy owners will have to keep in mind for the remainder of the season.

Las Vegas Raiders, NFL, Denver Broncos, Ashton Jeanty — Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) rushes the ball against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

2. Ashton Jeanty - 19 carries

Aside from trying to scheme up more quick-hitters for Geno Smith in the air attack, the other thing the Raiders have done consistently coming out of their bye is get Ashton Jeanty more involved. He went from averaging 17 touches a game in his first seven weeks in the NFL to 20 in his last two outings.

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

After starting strong with the ground game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas went away from its rushing attack down the stretch. They didn't make that mistake versus the Broncos, giving Jeanty 19 carries despite facing one of the top run defenses in the league. It might not have paid off with a win, but it did keep the Raiders in this game and even gave them the chance to force overtime once again. His fantasy owners will be hoping that this trend continues.

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