The holiday season is typically when football fans around the country start setting their sights on the postseason. Even teams with middling records have been known to fight their way into the playoffs in the back half of the season.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders, any hope of a playoff run this season is fantasy.
This year, the team is 2-9, losing the last five games in a row.
The most recent loss was to the Cleveland Browns, who dominated the Raiders 24-10 with their rookie players. Quarterback Geno Smith was sacked 10 times by the Browns.
It was an abysmal loss that has some questioning whether this is the worst team in franchise history.
"I think this one was particularly disheartening, just because these are two teams, the Browns and the Raiders, which are in the same situation, both clearly not going anywhere this year," says Case Keefer, Assistant Sports Editor for the Las Vegas Sun.
The loss to Cleveland also served as the final straw for Head Coach Pete Carroll, who ultimately fired Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly, who had been hired earlier this year as the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach. Keefer says it was apparent from the start that Kelly's days in Las Vegas were numbered, but he adds that it's ultimately Carroll's failure as head coach that has led the team to its current state.
"I honestly think this whole mess is his mess," Keefer says. "Chip Kelly clearly didn't do a good job. He did have carte blanche at first, but then you saw Pete Carroll start meddling more. Ultimately, a lot of these firings come down to beating a scapegoat, and I feel like that's what's happening here. I just feel like Pete Carroll's best years as a coach, unfortunately, might be behind him."
Another team struggling to pick up wins in recent seasons is the Nevada Wolf Pack. In 2023, they went 2-10. Last year, they were 3-10. This year, the team is 3-8. Nevada Sports Net's Chris Murray says the team is seeing some improvement under Head Coach Jeff Choate, but the progress has been slow.
"There was improvement on defense," Murray says. "There was improvement on special teams. I think the offense has been a major issue. Outside of one game against San Jose State two weeks ago, where Nevada put up 55 points, Nevada has not scored more than 22 points in any other game."
That success pales in comparison to the UNLV Rebels' recent run. The team is 9-2 this season and is expected to make a bowl appearance. However, before that happens, the Wolf Pack is set to host the Rebels on Saturday, November 29, for the 50th Battle for Nevada and the Fremont Cannon.
Murray says the game should be good, but there is a clear favorite.
"I would expect UNLV to win," he says. "They're more than a touchdown favorite. I do think it will be competitive, though. I mean, despite UNLV being 9-2, they have some defensive holes that have been shored up in the last couple of weeks, but I expect a pretty competitive game."
Guests: Case Keefer, assistant sports editor, Las Vegas Sun; Chris Murray, co-host and digital manager, NevadaSportsNet.com
