The Las Vegas Raiders are headed nowhere fast during the 2025 NFL season. A Week 6 win against the Tennessee Titans provided a glimmer of hope, but they came crashing back down to Earth in the worst way on Sunday, dropping a 31-0 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fortunately, the Raiders have their bye in Week 8. This means that the fan base won't be subject to another debilitating defeat, and the team now has two weeks to assess itself and come out better on the other side.
Based on what Raider Nation has seen so far this season, however, Las Vegas is not likely to make any game-changing adjustments during its week off. If they don't, it will be another painful season for the fan base, but there is a silver lining, even if it's not much.
Punter A.J. Cole could earn All-Pro bid if Raiders' offensive issues drag on
On Sunday, the Raiders' offense mustered just three first downs and 95 total yards while running just 30 plays and possessing the ball for 17:52. This shockingly bad performance paved the way for punter A.J. Cole to stand out as the only winner in the contest.
Cole punted the ball six times for Las Vegas, totaling 283 yards. While his average of 47.8 yards per punt was not close to his best mark of the season, he did have his longest punt of the year at 63 yards, downed three punts inside the Chiefs' 20-yard line and Kansas City only got eight return yards.
Broadening the scope a bit, Cole has now punted 10 times for the Raiders in the last two weeks for 450 total yards, and seven of them have been downed inside the 20-yard line. Cole is also coming off of an injury in Week 5, so he hasn't even been able to bring his best stuff.
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He was averaging 51.2 yards per punt through the first four weeks, compared to just 45.0 the last two weeks. However, with a bye week incoming, Cole should have a chance to get fully healthy and back to himself.
51.2 yards per punt would lead the league by a significant margin, and when Las Vegas' offensive issues inevitably persist, Cole's volume of punts, paired with his average yards per punt, should firmly cement him into All-Pro conversations.
Cole has been an All-Pro before, on two occasions, actually, but not since the 2023 season. This may not be the positive revelation that Raider Nation wanted, but it is, at least, a silver lining in a forgettable season that the team signed a player to an offseason extension, and it paid off immediately.