The Las Vegas Raiders continue to surprise fans and analysts across the league in the 2025 NFL season.
They came into the year with the outlook of a dark-horse playoff contender due to the aggressive, win-now moves they made in the offseason. When they hired Pete Carroll, many thought that would be the biggest coaching upgrade across the league.
When they traded for Geno Smith and signed him to a two-year extension, the belief was that he could possibly be the most notable improvement made at quarterback, over Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O'Connell, of any made in the NFL. When they drafted Ashton Jeanty, the thought was that he could singlehandedly transform their poor rushing attack into a competent one, even if they didn't make any significant changes along the offensive line.
None of those hopes came to fruition. The Raiders came out of the gate hot with a now-shocking win over the New England Patriots. Since then, they've gone 1-8. Even when expectations for this team lowered ahead of their Week 8 bye, they still found a way to underwhelm.
Cleveland Browns, NFL, Las Vegas Raiders, Myles Garrett
Dec 20, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) walks off the field after the Browns lost to the Las Vegas Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
After their bye, the Raiders showed some signs of life against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They came out with a revamped offensive game plan, built around a quick passing game to limit Geno Smith's capacity for backbreaking errors and capitalize on Ashton Jeanty's ability to create in space.
They had their best showing on that side of the ball against the Jags, scoring 29 points, even if it came in a narrow overtime loss, 30-29.
Since then, they've completely abandoned the identity that nearly led them to victory. They returned to being totally lifeless on offense in their last two games, putting up just seven points against the Denver Broncos and 16 versus the Dallas Cowboys. Now, the Raiders have to find a way to rebound in a matchup with the Cleveland Browns and their perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett.
Despite their meteoric fall this season, Las Vegas is actually favored over Cleveland. This is less a sign of confidence in the Raiders and more a nod to their home-field advantage, as well as a lack of belief in rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in his first full game as a starter. Four of five editors on NFL.com's panel are riding with Las Vegas, with Gennaro Filice predicting a narrow 17-13 win:
My Takeaways from Shedeur first game
Positive :
Showed that he can use his legs
Passing over the middle
Negatives
Pocket awareness
Not Recognizing blitzes
Forcing throws into tight windows
pic.twitter.com/UVE05yvv6H
— Phil (@Phxlly) November 17, 2025
"As you undoubtedly heard — from multiple sources, no less — Shedeur Sanders is making his first NFL start this Sunday... he struggled mightily in relief of Dillon Gabriel (concussion) last week, completing just four of his 16 passes for 47 yards (2.9 per attempt) with a bad interception.
Cleveland's porous offensive line didn't do Sanders any favors, but neither did the young quarterback's propensity to hold on to the football too long. To be fair, Sanders hadn’t taken any snaps with the first-team offense prior to that appearance, so a full week of practice reps with the 1s could markedly boost chemistry.
Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll
Las Vegas Raiders Pete Carroll / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
"...with the Browns' battered O-line yielding the league's second-worst pressure rate (42.5%), I'm afraid Sanders will suffer the wrath of Maxx Crosby. But Crosby isn't the only game-wrecker in this matchup.
With 11 sacks in his last four games, Myles Garrett is currently on pace to blow past the single-season record of 22.5 shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Cleveland's 6-foot-4, 272-pound force of nature has to be licking his chops looking at Las Vegas' line, which just made Dallas' destitute defense look positively ferocious. This feels like an ugly, turnover-filled toss-up. I'll take the home team."
Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytke, Pete Carroll
Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytke, Pete Carroll / Darrell Craig Harris, On SI
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