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[Las Vegas Raiders]

Raiders Week 10: Brock Bowers makes offense go; Broncos know it

A healthy Brock Bowers is a big problem.

The Jacksonville Jaguars saw exactly how much of a nightmare the Las Vegas Raiders tight end is this past Sunday as Bowers was the Silver & Black’s offense with a 12-catch, 127-yard, and three-touchdown afternoon in Week 9.

The 6-foot-4 and 235-pound 22-year-old is an absurd combination of tight end size with a wide receiver skillset that makes him a godsend for Raiders quarterback Geno Smith and a migraine for opposing defensive coordinators.

It’s no secret: Las Vegas’ most productive set on offense is 12 personnel — a formation of one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers on the field. With Bowers hobbled and missing snaps due to a knee injury, the Raiders offense looked vastly different. And with Bowers healthy — he showcased the acceleration and speed that made him the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft this past Sunday — and Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas good to go — expect 12 to be a staple again.

“Yeah, that’s where we started the season too. We were thinking that we were going to lead to that, because we like Mike (Michael Mayer) on the field the same time Brock’s out there and all of the flexibility that gives us,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said. “I don’t think it could be more obvious how valuable Brock was to us yesterday and how he was in the first game too. And then we hit the stretch where he was trying to recover and get back out there. So yeah, that’s something that’s best for us to mess in and out of the 12 personnel. Yeah.”

Brock Bowers 12 REC, 133 Total YDS, 3 TDs vs JAX Today. https://t.co/AZkvDU8i4O pic.twitter.com/II09a5Rrj9

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) November 3, 2025

Jacksonville head coach Liam Coen noted his Jaguars defense mixed coverages up — zone and man — and ran a four-man pass rush and blitzed too, but no matter what they did, even marginally disrupting Bowers was near impossible.

“He’s got a full route tree. So, when they’re in 12-personnel, they’re really an 11. When they’re in 11-personnel, they’re really in 10. And he gives you the ability. He can run option routes, like Cooper Kupp, he can run the seams like Tony Gonzalez, I mean, he’s just multipurpose,” Coen said of Bowers. “I’ve obviously competed and coached against him when he was at Georgia multiple times. There’s not many players at that position that you can say are as talented as him. Knew coming off the bye they were going to want to feature him in a lot of ways, but it didn’t much matter. He was making plays all over the place.”

Then again, Jacksonville now has the 27th-ranked passing defense in terms of yards allowed (1,994) and 29th in touchdowns given up (19).

So while Bowers does in fact make the Raiders offense go, the Denver Broncos know it. And you can bet defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and his crew are eager to prove Denver’s sixth-ranked pass defense — in term of yards allowed (1,681) — and second-ranked group — in terms of passing touchdowns yielded (eight) — isn’t fugazi. Joseph’s Broncos defense is ranked fourth in terms of points allowed (166) and third in yards yielded (2,519). And the run defense is eighth and ninth in yards (839) and touchdowns (six).

While Bowers has the ability to make any defender foolish — from defensive backs to linebackers — moving him across the formation and running a full gamut of routes is how the Raiders attack the Broncos. Bowers can beat both man and zone coverages with route running, size, and speed. And the absence of shutdown cornerback Patrick Surtain II is a major loss for Denver.

But Las Vegas offensive line, tight ends, wide receivers, and running backs need to be locked in to block for Smith to give him time to find Brock and other targets. Alongside with battering Denver with the run game powered by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.

"The Broncos are the best team in the AFC West..

I'm a Bo Nix fan and this defense is legit"@BruceArians #PMSLive https://t.co/nk0TcWfqld pic.twitter.com/fKWxADnMyZ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 4, 2025

The Broncos will look to unleash pass rushers Nik Bonitto (team-leading eight sacks), Jonathon Cooper (seven), Zach Allen (five), and John Franklin-Myers (four). Bonitto hasn’t registered a sack in three games leading into this Thursday night clash and is champing at the bit to drop Smith and stymie the Raiders offense.

With Bonitto and Cooper being outside linebackers who rush out of Joseph’s 3-4 defensive alignment, blocking for both tight ends and tailbacks on blitz pickup will be vital. The group did a good job of that against the Jaguars and need to replicate and improve that in Week 10.

Quote of Note:​

“It is really. It’s significantly different. We got to cover this game that we just played and get all that done, which is a Monday, and then there’s a Tuesday break and then Wednesday, the game plan starts. Well, this is a Monday, Wednesday is what this is. And then each day is just accelerated, so it’s equally the same for both teams. And it’s a challenge. Everybody’s got to work quickly. We got to be really efficient, and we need to get out of these other kinds of meetings as soon as we can to keep us going. But this is the Thursday challenge that you have, and it’s better when both teams come off a Sunday game to help even it up.”

—Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll on how different prep is for a Thursday night game

Head-to-Head​

Thursday night’s matchup will be the 132nd meeting between the Raiders and Broncos. The Silver & Black lead the overall series 73-56-2 (72-55-2 in regular season play, 1-1 in postseason action). But it’s Denver that’s riding a two-game winning streak heading into this one. The Broncos beat the Raiders 34-18 and 29-19 in the 2024 matchups. Before that, Las Vegas held an eight-game win streak from 2020-2024. The longest victory streak in the series was Oakland’s 14 straight wins from 1965-71.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...brock-bowers-makes-offense-go-broncos-know-it

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Raiders vs. Broncos: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming and more

The Las Vegas Raiders are back on a short week Thursday night as they visit AFC West rival the Denver Broncos to begin the NFL’s Week 10 schedule. Here’s what you need to know about the game:

Game info:

Records: The Raiders are 2-6, the Broncos are 7-2.

TV Schedule

Date: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025

Time: 5:15 p.m. PT

Channel: Amazon Prime.

Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung.

Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado.

Radio: KOMP 92.3 FM and KRLV “Raider Nation Radio” 920 AM

Watch on mobile:

Live game streams are available on the following platforms for those in-market*:

Raiders + Allegiant Stadium App (iOS and Android devices)

Raiders.com on iOS mobile devices (Safari browser only via this direct link)

Weather: Mid 50s and clear.

Betting: Broncos -9.5, 42.5 O/U at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Follow Silver and Black Pride on social media!​

Twitter – @SilverBlakPride

Facebook – Silver and Black Pride

Opponent Blog: Mile High Report.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...iders-broncos-how-watch-tv-schedule-streaming

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Don’t be fooled by close game that progress is being made

Remember when Thursday night games were awful?

Now you do.

The Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos turned back the clock and proceeded to put together one of, if not, the worst NFL games of the season in a game that rudely reminded us of the early days of Thursday night slates.

The Broncos are the better team, thus they were able to overcome their major mistakes as the beat the floundering Raiders 10-7 on Thursday night.

The Raiders are now 2-7 and have lost nine straight AFC West games. They are awful under first-season coach Pete Carroll and Thursday night was a prime example that this team is mot making progress.

Sure, some may say a three-point road loss to an 8-2 team that won its seventh straight game was a good showing. It wasn’t.

The Broncos killed themselves on offense. But they saved themselves on defense.

the Raiders were their usual bumbling selves. Here’s a cute rundown of their follies:

An interception on a lazy play by first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, a blocked punt inside their own 20, a penalty negated touchdown, a game-tying missed field goal in the final five minutes.

The Raiders are just a bad team. They weren’t going to beat a better team like that.

Oh and check this out. Both teams had 10 first downs and 11 penalties. That’s first time since 1976 when the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks were featured in a game with both teams have more penalties than first downs.

Utter ugliness to start Week 10.

Here are some key aspects of this disaster:

Injuries pile up:

Both guards, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham left the game in the second quarter with ankle injuries. After the game, Carroll indicated that Powers-Johnson will miss some time. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up on the injured reserve. Remember, left tackle Kolton Miller has been on the injured reserve for more than a month. Quarterback Geno Smith suffered a quad contusion and he left the game some in the fourth quarter. He returned but he was limping badly. Still, Carroll thinks he will be fine moving forward.

Offensive woes:

Remember, when the Raiders got fans excited four days ago when they scored a season-high 29 points? That was fun. It was back to the same old thing under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. This was the fourth time in nine games that the Raiders scored 10 or less points this season. Star tight end Brock Bowers had just one catch for 31 yards after having 12 on Sunday. Jeanty had another rough running out as he had 60 yards on 189 carries. He has averaged less than four yards per carry in seven of nine games. The Raiders had seven straight drives that they didn’t get a first down, spanning 28-plus minutes. Plus, Smith was sacked six times. Just a brutal night for the offense. Again.

Tough day for rookie receivers:

Rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton were on the field for the first play in the Raiders’ first game after trading Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thornton didn’t play last week. Both Bech and Thornton negated big plays with penalties, including a touchdown. Thornton also had a big drop. Thornton had one catch for four yards and Bech didn’t have any. These two players have room to grow, but they’re clearly not ready. The Raiders were led by by 22-year-old Tyler Lockett’s five catches on 44 yards. The point is, if Bowers isn’t involved, the Raiders have an anemic receiving attack.

Oh, special teams:

It’s been a rough season for the Raiders on special teams and it was more of the same Thursday night. Yes, punter A.J. Cole didn’t his thing, pinning the Broncos inside their 1 twice, but there was another blocked punt that setup the game-winning field goal. Then, Raiders’ kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal with 4:26 that would have tied the game. The Broncos killed the game from there. Carlson has five missed kicks (PATs and field goals) this season. He is a free agent and the Raiders could let him walk.

Blu Kelly makes case:

Rookie Darien Porter started in front of Kyu Blu Kelly for the second straight game. But Blu Kelly had both of the Raiders; interceptions, so he is fighting for playing time.

Another good defensive start:

The Raiders’ defense forced yet another three-and-out on their first drive of the game. The Raiders also forced a three-and-out on Denver’s first four drives. The last time they did that was in 2016 against the Broncos. The Broncos got their first first down with 5:50 to go in the first half Thursday night.

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...1/raiders-broncos-thursday-night-pete-carroll

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Message to Chip Kelly

There was a lot to be alarmed about in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 10-7 loss at the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

The offense was brutal as it failed to score more than 10 points for the fourth time, went seven straight possessions without a first down and make several critical mistakes.

But what stands out as the most disturbing aspect of the offense was the lack of Brock Bowers in the offense. That’s on offensive coordinator Chip Kelly not the superstar tight end.

Check this out:

Brock Bowers' targets last night for #Raiders:
6:29 left in 1st: incompletion on 1st and 10
15:00 left in 2nd: incompletion on 2nd and 12
11:20 left in 2nd: 31-yard completion on 2nd and 9

Bowers had 0 targets on Raiders final 34 offensive plays last night

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 7, 2025

It’s inexcusable that was targeted that few times. He is a generational player and was coming off a 12-catch game as he finally return to full health. If the Raiders’ don’t direct their offense around Bowers, they will not have a consistent chance to win.

Their other receiving weapons just don’t strike fear in opponents, especially after this week’s trade of Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thursday night, the Raiders’ leading receiver was 33-year-old Tyler Lockett, who had five catches for 44 yards in his second game as a Raider. Opposing teams will allow the Raiders to nickel and dime them with a few Lockett plays if it means Bowers is being taken out.

It’s painfully obvious that rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton are not ready to be factors. The Raiders must be a Bowers-first offense. And if Kelly can’t make that happen, the offensive misery will get worse before it gets better.

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Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...14385/raiders-offense-chip-kelly-brock-bowers

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Pete Carroll fires Tom McMahon

There are starting to be consequences for the las Vegas Raiders’ poor start to the 2024 season under first-year head coach Pete Carroll.

The team has fired special teams coach Tom McMahon according to several reports. NFL media was the first to report it.

The #Raiders have fired Special Teams Coordinator Tom McMahon, per me and @TomPelissero.

A significant move after last night’s loss. McMahon and coach Pete Carroll had words on the sidelines. pic.twitter.com/BlBIx8iwKi

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 7, 2025

The Raiders’ special teams has been dreadful this season.

Their 10-7 loss at Denver on Thursday night was helped fueled by a blocked punt that setup the game-winning field goal and a missed Daniel Carlson field goal with less than five minutes to go. The Raiders have allowed four blocked punts in the past two season, the most in the NFL. Carlson has five missed kicks this season.

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McMahon was in his fourth season with the Raiders. He was first hired by Josh McDaniels and was retained both both Antonio Pierce and Carroll.

The Raiders have Derius Swinton and Kade Rannings as assistant special teams coaches. The Raiders announced Swinton will take on the interim role for the rest of the season in a statement by Carroll.

pic.twitter.com/SfSNy4UiYC

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 7, 2025

This in-season moves shows there are some clear issues on the coaching staff as the Raiders’ sit at 2-7. It would not be a surprise if Carroll makes more changes to the staff, especially in the offseason if he returns as the 20-26 head coach.

This move continues a long trend of Raiders’ in-season firing.

#Raiders have changed head coach, coordinator or GM during the season in:
2025: ST coordinator Tom McMahon
2024: OC Luke Getsy
2023: HC Josh McDaniels, OC Mick Lombardi
2022: none
2021: HC Jon Gruden
2020: DC Paul Guenther
2019: none
2018: GM Reggie McKenzie

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 7, 2025

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...-pete-carroll-fires-tom-mcmahon-special-teams

 

[Las Vegas Raiders]

Tom McMahon first of many Raiders’ dominos to fall?

Tom McMahon simply had to go.

Special teams used to be a traditional strength of the Silver & Black — immune from suffering that ailed the offense and defense. But McMahon’s unit wilted under the primetime lights with another blocked punt and a missed field goal.

Good on Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll for sacking the special teams coordinator after stinker another stinker of a performance.

“Earlier today, we made the tough decision to relieve Tom McMahon of his duties as special teams coordinator,” Carroll said in a statement posted on the Raiders official website Friday. “I have a great amount of respect for Tom and the work that he has done in this league, but we have decided to move in a different direction. Derius Swinton II will assume special teams coordinator duties on an interim basis and we are excited to attack the second half of this season with outstanding intent and purpose. We are grateful for Tom and his work here with the Raiders and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

McMahon arrived as special teams boss by former Raiders head man Josh McDaniels back in 2022 and inherited a kicking battery of kicker Daniel Carlson (a 2021 All Pro second-team selection) and punter AJ Cole III (a 2021 All Pro first-team selection and pro bowler). He’s a holdover of both McDaniels and then Antonio Pierce who succeeded the former. And Carroll decided to keep McMahon in place. The results of that decision are horrific for Las Vegas in 2025.

Carlson’s field goal percentage has waned since 2022 going from 91.9 percent to 86.7, 85.0, and currently 75.0 percent. At 12 of 16 on the year — his potential Week 4 game-winning field goal against the Chicago Bears was blocked — Carlson’s percentage currently is the second lowest with a 19 of 26 season in 2019 (73.1) being his worst. Cole, meanwhile, is having a down 2025 campaign with a 47.6 yards per punt average. He’s also suffered two blocked punts so far this year (tied for most in the NFL) and had two in 2024. No other team can approach that kind of ineptitude protecting their punter.

McMahon was brought in on Josh McDaniels’ staff in 2022 and remained with Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll. #Raiders allowed their 4th blocked punt in last 2 seasons last night. No other team has more than 2 in that span https://t.co/IclzXLlM1l

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 7, 2025

And that’s just the boot specialists under McMahon’s charge. Las Vegas’ punt and kick return coverage units are topsy turvy with the team getting torched on a 90-yard house call on a punt against the Washington Commanders in Week 3. Then, in Week 5, the Raiders were fortunate a holding call wiped out a kick return touchdown by the Indianapolis Colts. Not to mention the poor angles, lane discipline, and tackling ability (or lack thereof), the operation was a mess under McMahon and he had to go.

Suffice it to say but, the bar is set low for interim special teams boss Derius Swinton II.

And McMahon’s dismissal is likely one of many Raiders’ dominos to fall if Carroll remains head honcho this offseason. The 74-year-old coaching veteran perhaps will make additional changes to his crew beyond the in-season canning of McMahon.

But this brings me to another item: I can understand why Raider Nation is already in draft mode. The Raiders are 2-7 overall and have a disconcerting point differential of negative 81 points (scoring 139 total points while allowing 220). Also, the team’s remaining schedule is meek in terms of potential victories with likely the Week 12 clash with the incoming Cleveland Browns the lone contest of the remaining eight where the Raiders may be favored (stressing the “may”). So the “tank” talk is already present with fans hoping the team continues to stack losses to get a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But I keep asking myself this question: Can Carroll and his coaching staff be trusted to develop future prospects and current players?

“This isn’t gonna be forever. Guys that have been around, that wouldn’t have happened to. We’ll overcome that. If they don’t, they won’t get better and they won’t be here. But they’ll improve on those things.”

Raiders Coach Pete Carroll speaks on errors by rookies Ashton Jeanty,… pic.twitter.com/3lzoLx8UA6

— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) November 7, 2025

The Year 1 results so far in 2025 — from both the rookie and incumbent players perspective — are abysmal and contributes aplenty to the Raiders season so far. The way Carroll and his coaching staff put second-year offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson (starting at center, then moving to right guard and competing with veteran Alex Cappa), to the development and usage of 2025 draft picks Jack Bech (second-round wide receiver), Darien Porter (third-round cornerback), Dont’e Thornton Jr. (fourth-round wideout), and to an extent Ashton Jeanty (running back and sixth overall selection) don’t inspire much.

Then there’s third-round offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant and fourth-round defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway and sixth-round defensive tackle JJ Pegues who can’t get active and play.

And who can forget how quickly the Raiders moved on from sixth-round pick Tommy Mellott. Granted, the ultra-athletic Montana State product was moving from quarterback to wide receiver in the NFL, but with his measurables (5-foot-11 and 4.39 speed) it seemed he’d be a practice squad rookie — at worst. Instead, he was waived on cutdown day and eventually signed with the New Orleans Saints.

“I have a lot of respect for Tommy, and there was a lot of hard decisions that we made the last couple of days. Ultimately, our responsibility, coach (Carroll) and myself, is to put the best 53, and then 17 after that, to get ready to win football games,” Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek said of Mellott a day after cut day. “There’s always a development part of that, too. But there’s a reality, sometimes, that who is most ready, and who is furthest along and who can help this team win the most. Ultimately, we made some decisions that didn’t include him, for now.”

Mellott isn’t currently on an NFL roster which gives the Raiders some leeway in the decision. But pulling the plug so quickly and not even eyeing long-term development and projection is troubling. Despite what Carroll said about competing right away and winning a lot of games in Year 1.

If Carroll does remain this offseason and beyond, more dominos need to fall and a coaching staff assembled to get the most return on investment (ROI) on the resources Las Vegas uses on building the roster. Whether that be draft selections, free agent additions, or players brought in via trade.

Our Bill Williamson put it best:

Tom McMahon's unit stunk, but he is not the reason why this is team doesn't have a winning record. Team-wide issues that start at top. Utterly ridiculous to believe otherwise. #Raiders

— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) November 7, 2025

Source: https://www.silverandblackpride.com...mcmahon-first-of-many-raiders-dominos-to-fall