ClutchPoints
The Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to reunite Pete Carroll and Geno Smith—the dynamic duo that once found success in Seattle—has devolved into one of the most disastrous coaching experiments in recent NFL memory. Just seven games into the 2025 season, the partnership has produced historically bad results, leaving the franchise at 2-5 and mired in offensive ineptitude that’s rewriting the record books for all the wrong reasons.
At 73 years old, Carroll became the oldest head coach in NFL history when he took the Raiders job. His decision to push management into trading for his former quarterback Smith was supposed to inject stability and championship experience into a struggling organization. Instead, it’s accelerated the Raiders’ descent into one of the league’s laughingstocks, with fans already calling for Carroll’s firing after a tenure that’s yielded results worse than predecessors Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.
The numbers tell a story of unprecedented futility. In Week 7’s 31-0 shellacking by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders managed just 96 total yards on a franchise-record-low 30 offensive plays, becoming only the second team since 1950 to run that few plays in a game. They recorded a mere three first downs—the fewest by any team since the Raiders themselves had three in 2008—and went 0-for-7 on third-down conversions while the Chiefs controlled possession for over 42 minutes.
The offensive collapse wasn’t an isolated incident. Two weeks earlier, the Indianapolis Colts overwhelmed Las Vegas 40-6, outscoring them 40-0 in the second and third quarters combined. The Raiders have failed to score 10 points three times this season and have been held to six points or fewer twice in three games. Their 235.6 yards per game ranks dead last in the NFL, a stunning 35 yards behind the next-worst offense.
Carroll’s post-game assessment—”This was a game that I didn’t see coming”—revealed a head coach completely out of touch with his team’s capabilities. His claim that injuries had more impact than anticipated rings hollow when the fundamental inability to execute basic football plays has plagued the offense all season long.
At the heart of the Raiders’ offensive dysfunction stands Geno Smith, who leads the entire NFL with 10 interceptions through seven games. The quarterback who once revitalized his career under Carroll in Seattle has regressed dramatically, throwing multiple interceptions in four different games this season, including three picks in two separate contests.
Oh Boy: Geno Smith throws his TENTH interception this season…
Cody Barton makes the play.pic.twitter.com/izc7HZm5Ls
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 12, 2025
Smith’s statistics paint a grim picture: a 77.1 passer rating (31st in the NFL), 34.4 QBR (29th), and just seven touchdown passes against those 10 interceptions. His performance against Kansas City epitomized his struggles—10-of-16 for a paltry 67 yards before being benched for Kenny Pickett in the fourth quarter. The fact that Smith posted his second consecutive game with fewer than 70 passing yards speaks to a complete...
