The Las Vegas Raiders looked brutally inept once again during Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season on Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. Now 2-7, the Raiders are among the worst teams in the league and haven't given fans much to be excited about.
Whereas the defense has had its share of ups and downs, the offense and special teams have been constant letdowns. Las Vegas finally fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on Friday, and head coach Pete Carroll is clearly growing tired of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
There is plenty of blame to go around in the building, and Raider Nation is growing tired of Carroll, in particular. In fact, his postgame comments after the team dropped a 10-7 game against the Broncos will make the fan base's blood boil.
Pete Carroll's postgame comments completely missed the mark
On Thursday evening, after the game, Carroll opened up his media availability by making a statement about his team after the loss.
"We came into this game knowing we were going up against a terrific team playing really well at home and on a roll. It was going to be a championship atmosphere on a Thursday night and all that comes with it. I told our guys this was a great opportunity for us to step in, handle the moment, go out there, battle, and give ourselves a chance to win. I was so fired up about the way we played overall," Carroll said. "To fight against a team like that all night long and have a chance to tie the game, who knows what would’ve happened next? I think we would’ve won. There are plenty of things to talk about in between, but the way they competed was exactly what we were hoping for and looking for. Could we avoid clipping a guy? Could we avoid holding a guy or picking a guy? Sure. There are so many things we can improve on. But the fight is in this dog now, no doubt about it. I couldn’t wait to tell them how proud I was of the way they competed."
While the Raiders could certainly use some positivity in the midst of the season they've had, Carroll completely missed the mark here. The franchise's motto of "Just win, baby," is about winning, not just finally competing against a good team.
Yes, competing and playing the right way is important, and the defense, in particular, showed a lot in the loss. But for him to play the blame game by pointing out several of his team's on-field mistakes, and then to practically be happy about a loss, is tone-deaf to a team and fan base starved for wins.
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One of the mistakes that he mentioned in his first comment was rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s offensive pass interference that negated a Tre Tucker touchdown. When asked about these mistakes, Carroll said it is a learning experience, but also made a weird threat of sorts.
"Guys that have been around, that wouldn't happen to (them), likely. They know how to avoid it because they know that's what's coming," Carroll said. "Those things will go, we'll overcome that. If they don't, then they're not getting better and they won't be here."
For Carroll to even vaguely say that Thornton's mistake was responsible for the loss is ridiculous, especially considering how variable his role has been this season. Thornton went from being a healthy scratch to a key starter in a matter of days, which is a hard adjustment to make.
Rookies certainly need to be held to a standard, and tough love can be a good thing. But this kind of criticism to the media is a good way to hurt a young player's confidence, to lose the locker room and make the fan base furious with you. Carroll completely missed the mark once again.