On Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, the Las Vegas Raiders simply needed to make fewer mistakes to get a much-needed win and end a four-game losing streak. That came to fruition thanks to three takeaways and just one turnover in a 20-10 victory over one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty didn't have a banner day against the Titans, recording 23 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown, as well as two catches for 11 yards. But the trend to make him the centerpiece of the offense is promising and ever-present.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly still has a lot of work to do to get the Raiders' offense on the proper track, and he is not being helped by a head coach who continually absolves someone from any blame for bad plays or performances.
But after how things had gone for the previous four games, something had to change against the Titans. If it had to be drastic, and appropriately drastic, then so be it.
Chip Kelly all but eliminated the biggest detriment to the Raiders' offense in win over Titans
After throwing multiple interceptions in three of the previous four games, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was unremarkable against the Titans, completing 17-of-23 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The interception was another awful throw, despite head coach Pete Carroll's insistence he "couldn't do much about" the play, but at least it was only one. Some of what the Raiders were able to do in the passing game was a product of how the Titans were deploying coverage, but ESPN's Ryan McFadden offered some deeper insight.
Despite the win, #Raiders Geno Smith averaged 2.9 air yards per pass, the second lowest mark by any QB in a game this season (Jordan Love 1.2 vs Browns in Week 3).
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) October 12, 2025
Smith averaged 8 air yards per attempt in the previous five games.
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Next Gen Stats had Smith's average air yards per attempt against the Titans at 2.7, but the broader point stands, as it was his lowest such mark since Week 9 of the 2022 season. His one pass attempt beyond 10 air yards was his fewest in a game since Week 6 of the 2016 season, when he was still with the New York Jets.
In the majority of games, Smith will have to do more than he did against the Titans if the Raiders are going to have a chance to win. But Sunday was about avoiding an avalanche of negative plays offensively against an inferior team.
With that in mind, Kelly responded to Carroll's criticism of the offense by minimizing the thing that was the biggest active detriment to winning during the prior four games. He leaned on the run, which the veteran coach has also emphasized.