Another shutout loss underscores why the Las Vegas Raiders’ collapse is structural, not schematic, as questions grow about ownership, influence and long-term vision.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is not wrong. He is just late—and possibly understating the absurdity.
Two 31-0 shutouts. Fewer than 100 yards of offense. Eight straight losses. At this point, calling the Raiders “inept” feels charitable, like describing a five-alarm fire as “warm.” The product on the field is not merely broken; it is unrecognizable as modern NFL football.
Yes, something has to change. The question, as Florio notes, is whether the Raiders are capable of changing the right things.
Pete Carroll looks less like a solution and more like a graceful exit waiting to be negotiated. Chip Kelly has already been fed to the wolves, yet the offense remains stuck in neutral—or reverse. That usually means the problem is structural, not schematic. The roster is thin, the margins are nonexistent, and opposing defenses appear bored by halftime.
The Raiders don’t have a proper foundation…
The Raiders have two blue-chip players: Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers. That is not a foundation; it is a trivia question. Most functional NFL teams have two or three difference-makers per unit. The Raiders have two total, and both are being asked to play superhero while the rest of the cast forget their lines.
That is where Florio’s commentary sharpens. John Spytek owns the roster in theory. Tom Brady owns influence in practice. Mark Davis owns the final call, presumably. That is a lot of cooks, and none of them appear to be watching the stove.
Brady cannot be fired, but he can be reconsidered. If he is going to be a part-time owner with a full-time voice and a broadcasting schedule that prevents him from attending games, top-tier coaching and front-office candidates may reasonably wonder who they actually answer to. Elite candidates do not enjoy ambiguity. They enjoy autonomy.
Another teardown is coming. Whether it fixes anything depends on whether the Raiders finally align authority, accountability and vision. Blow it up again without solving that, and all you have done is reset the calendar—not the culture.
The Raiders do not need a new coat of paint. They need a new blueprint.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images