The Las Vegas Raiders continue to find new ways to lose, as they fell to 2-7 following a 10-7 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 10. It is hard to say that their division rivals beat them, as the Raiders made countless mistakes that wound up costing them the game.
Despite the defense playing great and tying for a season-low 10 points allowed, the offense had several drives halted by costly penalties and mistakes. Meanwhile, punter AJ Cole had a great game, even though he did have a punt blocked, which set Denver up with great field position.
The same cannot be said for kicker Daniel Carlson, whose nightmare season continued in the loss. Pete Carroll had attempted to speak the former All-Pro into a bounce-back earlier in the week; however, he once again let the team down.
Daniel Carlson continues to let the Raiders down in his contract year
Carlson had been among the best kickers in the entire NFL from 2020 through 2022 as he connected on 93.0% of his 115 field goal attempts and 94.8% of his 116 extra point attempts. He earned back-to-back All-Pro honors in the final two years of that stretch, including a first-team nod in 2022.
While he slightly regressed over the past two seasons, it was not to the point of hurting the team, as he had made 85.7% of his field goal attempts and 96.5% of his extra point attempts. Carlson had been directly involved in two of the Raiders' most heartbreaking losses in 2025 before Thursday.
His blocked game-winning field goal attempt was blocked in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears as time expired, and his missed extra point attempt in Week 9 ensured that the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to tie the game with a late field goal and force overtime.
Ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Broncos, Carroll attempted to speak life into his kicker during a press conference, while also noting he was responsible for some of the team's struggles.
"The ball's just got to go through the freaking hoop. We just got to make them. That's all there is to it," Carroll said. "We've been so close that one kick in this game, one kick in that game has made a difference, and our season would be somewhat different if we could get him to answer, but, unfortunately, we're putting him in long situations at the end of the game, and it's as difficult as it can get. And we really trust in him and believe in him and are counting on him to come through. The ball will go a mile up here in this place in Denver."
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Unfortunately for the Raiders, that was simply not the case, as Carlson's struggles continued. While he made his only extra point attempt to improve to 11-12 on the season, he missed a 48-yard field goal with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game.
Carroll acknowledged his kicker's struggles in his postgame press conference.
"He's got to kick better. I know it kills him, too. He wants to make every one of those, and he's got to kick better for us," Carroll said.
It marked Carlson's fourth missed field goal in 16 attempts this season, and his first on a kick that was under 50 yards. While there was plenty that went wrong, and the Raiders' kicker cannot be solely blamed, his inability to answer when his number is called has severely hurt the team.
Despite ranking eighth all-time in career field goal percentage, Carlson has become a liability for Las Vegas, as they have been unable to count on him in 2025. Kickers around the league have expanded their range to consistently make kicks longer than 50 yards, as evident by Cam Little's record-breaking 68-yard field goal against the Raiders last week.
Las Vegas' kicker, however, has struggled with longer kicks, and it appears that his regression has no end in sight. At this rate, it is unlikely that Carlson, who is set for unrestricted free agency following the season, will be back in Silver and Black next season.