The Las Vegas Raiders have easily been among the biggest disappointments in the entire NFL this season. While nobody expected Pete Carroll and his staff to turn the franchise into an immediate contender, it's a shock that the team has looked as bad as it has.
While the Raiders' 1-4 record is underwhelming, the product on the field has been even worse. Things came to a head in Week 5 when they had their worst performance of the season, suffering an embarrassing 40-6 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Las Vegas needs to turn things around if it hopes to salvage anything from this season. While the remainder of the schedule looks brutal, they will enter Week 6 in a position that they haven't been in for nearly three seasons, and they can't risk making the same mistakes they made last time.
Raiders favored by largest amount since brutal 2022 loss to Rams
The Raiders will have an opportunity to face another bad team this week, as the 1-4 Tennessee Titans, fresh off their first win, will visit Allegiant Stadium. While they were able to win on Sunday, the Titans are still the only team in the league that consistently ranks worse than Las Vegas.
This has led to the Raiders being favored, somehow, by six points in Week 6, according to BetMGM, via the Associated Press's Josh Dubow. This is the first time since their Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 that they have been favored by six or more points.
Raiders fans will remember that game for quite some time, as Baker Mayfield, who joined the Rams just two days prior to the game, significantly outplayed Derek Carr, leading Los Angeles to a 17-16 come-from-behind victory. This catapulted Mayfield back into favorable conversations.
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Las Vegas must avoid falling into the same trap against a Titans team that is likely riding high after a win and will enter the game with plenty of confidence. The Raiders must acknowledge their struggles and avoid treating the game as if they are true favorites, as they've done nothing to earn that status.
If they are unable to beat Tennessee, and particularly, if they lose in a convincing or embarrassing fashion, it will become clear that changes must be made to both the roster and the coaching staff in Las Vegas.
Carroll's all-time standing as a head coach will certainly buy him time despite the early failures, and he seems committed to Smith for the time being. It would not be a surprise to see some coaching assignments altered or players benched if Las Vegas is unable to pick up its first win since Week 1.
Losing this game would be disastrous, so the Raiders must right this embarrassing and infamous loss against the Rams in 2022 by taking down a Titans team in Week 6 that they are fully capable of beating.