\n<\/p>\n
Losses piling up in Las Vegas are nothing new, especially for the Raiders.<\/p>\n
Here they go again.<\/p>\n
Now 2-8 and currently tied for third in the projected 2026 NFL Draft order, next year is about all that’s left for the franchise to play for with seven games remaining.<\/p>\n
They’ll do a lot to define that future in the final six games of the season. Two other two-win teams \u2014 the Browns on Sunday<\/a> and a season finale with the New York Giants \u2014 are on the schedule with the Chargers, Broncos, Eagles and Texans sandwiched between.<\/p>\n Pete Carroll and the Raiders hobbled through his first season on the job devoid of essentials for competing in today’s NFL.<\/p>\n Casting their lot with Geno Smith via trade with the Seahawks<\/a> was fine, but the requisite next step was addressing a cheesecloth offensive line. Without blue-chip blockers, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has scrapped for almost every yard gained this season. Of his 554 rushing yards, 470 were gained after contact. Without a No. 1 receiver, Jeanty faces more than seven men in the box on virtually every carry.<\/p>\n Re-signing Maxx Crosby to a long-term extension was a win, but he doesn’t have enough help around him to consistently deliver a meaningful impact.<\/p>\n “I was really disappointed that we didn’t stop them more,” Carroll said Monday night. “There was a space in that game, three or four drives in a row, and we couldn’t get off the field.”<\/p>\n A wide-lens look at the Raiders does reveal a few building blocks in place. But Las Vegas doesn’t have the playmakers to square with the best in the AFC or the middle-of-the-pack in the NFC (Dallas). Not right now.<\/p>\n With the Raiders trailing 33-16 in the fourth quarter, Las Vegas came up with a stop with over 11 minutes to play and a chance to make it interesting. But a fourth consecutive loss was served instead when the Dallas defense stuffed Jeanty in his own end zone for a safety.<\/p>\n