The Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense has been awful this 2025 NFL season. While the Silver and Black are middle of the pack in passing yards per game (210.2) and (112.6) per game, this production hasn’t led to points.
Despite the offense putting up those respectable numbers, Las Vegas sit in the bottom three regarding points per game this season. Only the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are averaging less points than the Raiders so far this season heading into Week 6, per ESPN.
Geno Smith’s play this season has been criticized as Las Vegas isn’t seeing the veteran who played with the Seattle Seahawks, but instead getting the New York Jets version. However, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should be receiving blame, as ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote about how people around the NFL feel about the Raiders’ offense.
“If the season spirals down the drain, could the Raiders look at Kenny Pickett? Possibly,” Graziano wrote in an ESPN article published on October 8.
“That’s what the Browns were trying to do before they drafted two quarterbacks and Pickett got hurt in camp before landing in Las Vegas on a trade. But for now, it sounds like the Raiders will ride it out with Smith.
“What I’m hearing from a lot from people around the league is that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme isn’t creating enough advantages to overcome the Raiders’ personnel deficiencies, and there’s no margin for error if Smith keeps turning the ball over as much as he has.”
Can the Raiders Offense Improve?
After the latest loss in which the Raiders scored only six points, Smith explained how Las Vegas can try to salvage its 2025 NFL season before it gets out of hand, if it hasn’t already.
“Work harder, study harder, study longer, band together, become a tighter group,” Smith added. “And I think we’re already a tight group, but we got to get tighter as a group. And guys got to lock in. I mean, it’s a tough game. It’s a one-play-at-a-time game.
“They’re going to face a tough team every week. Man, that’s the NFL. There’s not going to be any easy game. We got to get in our mind that we’re going to go out and win the game and we’re going to get it done. Until we do that, we’ll have the same results.”
Raiders Offense Will Be Sticking With Geno Smith
Even with the concerns the Raiders offense is showing through five weeks, they won’t be making any changes under center, at least not for now.
Smith was brought in to bring veteran leadership to a young Raiders offense, but the mistakes usually seen from rookies or players in their second or third year have surprisingly come from the 34-year-old.
Despite that, head coach Pete Carroll explained why Kenny Pickett wasn’t brought in after the game against the Indianapolis Colts was essentially decided.
“Here’s the reason why I didn’t do that: We need to stay out there and keep practicing,” Carroll said postgame when asked if there was a thought to bench Smith for Pickett. “We need to keep practicing, we need the reps, we need the turns, we need to run the system, we need to feel it, we need to see the guys get the opportunities to improve.
“I thought about it because there was a chance to do that. … That’s not what’s necessary. We need to get better and get right, so these are the games that we’re working on, and these are the games that we learn from and grow from so that we can change the course of the way games are going.”
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