Silver And Black Pride
For too long, opponents have used matchups against the Las Vegas Raiders as a get-right game.
That notorious Silver & Black narrative needs to change this Sunday against the visiting Tennessee Titans.
Because, in the Battle of the Bad — both the Raiders and Titans are 1-4 overall after five games into the 2025 season — the Raiders must rise to the occasion and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Taking advantage of Tennessee is mission critical due to the fact Las Vegas won’t see another downtrodden opponent for about six weeks (the Cleveland Browns in Week 12).
The Titans walk into Allegiant Stadium with an offense (ranked 31st in scoring at 73 total points) and defense (ranked 26th in points allowed at 141) that’s worse than the Raiders (30th in points scored at 83; 25th in points allowed 139) — hence the Battle of the Bad designation for Sunday’s tilt. And it’s even quite the NFL miracle for Tennessee to have one win instead of being 0-5 heading into this one.
The Titans trailed 21-6 in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals before a wild rally where Tennessee scored 16 unanswered points and literally had the ball bounce its way.
So, if there was ever a get-right opportunity for Las Vegas, Week 6 is the best opportunity as Tennessee is struggling mightily in all three phases of the game — like the Raiders.
A focused and honed approach from head coach Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon, along with player execution must be in sync in this golden home outing for Las Vegas. Takeaways are a prime area the Silver & Black need to flip too, as in, stop turning the ball over and begin taking it way from the opposition.
Las Vegas has the second to worst turnover total at 10 in the NFL and only has four takeaways ranking 23rd in the league. Tennessee, in comparison, has seven turnovers (21st in the NFL) and eight takeaways (good for fifth highest). Graham’s exasperation when asked about not coming up with turnovers is a universal feeling amongst the Raiders and the team’s fanbase, Raider Nation.
“Here’s what I would tell you, I’m so tired, I’m trying to be mindful of my language, of talking about whatever it is we got to do. That’s how they feel. We got to do,” Graham said during his Thursday media session. “So, I could talk about, ‘We’re doing this, that.’ We just got to make it happen. Got to take the ball away. However it happens, that’s what we got to do. So, that’s how I’m talking to them. You can see my whole mood and demeanor change. Done talking. We got to do. We’re unlucky. I mean, the language I would use right now, F that. But no, we got to do. Just win, baby. You just got to do it. That’s what we got to do.”
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