The Las Vegas Raiders have had a rough start to the 2025 NFL season, as they sit at 2-6 and are in last place in the AFC West. Their struggles led them to send Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 4th and a 6th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at the trade deadline.
The coaching staff and locker room will not have much time to dwell on their lone deadline move, as they have a quick turnaround, facing the 7-2 Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Week 10.
While the Raiders' focus should largely be on the future, fans would love for the team to go into Empower Field at Mile High and upset the division leaders on the back of young talent.
Las Vegas will have its hands full against its rivals, however, as they look to get back in the win column. Although Bo Nix has had a solid season thus far, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham does not seem concerned about the Broncos' second-year quarterback.
Raiders DC Patrick Graham seemingly dismisses Bo Nix when asked about his success
Nix has thrown for 1,796 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions this season while completing 61.2% of his pass attempts. He has also showcased his dual-threat ability, adding 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries.
While his numbers are solid, that doesn't tell the entire story. Graham hinted during his Tuesday media availability that Nix's numbers may be a product of what is around him, not necessarily his individual talent.
"I don't want to take anything away from the player, but in terms of what Coach (Sean) Payton is doing there, you could see he's doing such a good job of bringing him along. For a coach who had a veteran quarterback for so long that they probably were in sync from everything on the field, off the field, but he's bringing him along," Graham said. "I think Bo is doing a good job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly. They got some things set up with the quick game. He's able to get out of issue plays in terms of using his feet. And then, I think, again, there's a lot of check with me at the line of scrimmage. You see that in terms of the run game. He has some dynamic backs back there, the O-line is a veteran group that's worked together. So, he's doing a good job of controlling -- and I'm not saying managing the game, but he's doing a good job of controlling it. It's always when those guys are able to do that, it makes it tough."
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Graham obviously did not come right out and criticize Nix, but he danced quite a bit around giving him a direct compliment. Instead, he praised Denver's system and the pieces around Nix at length, and didn't exactly act like Nix himself was a game-changer.
The Broncos are averaging 25.0 points per game, which ranks 14th in the league, so Las Vegas' defense will still have its hands full. But to Graham's point, Denver's rushing attack has been far better than its passing game, as they rank seventh and 17th, respectively.
While Nix is tied for third in passing touchdowns with five other quarterbacks, he ranks just 18th in passing yards per game, 29th in completion percentage, 23rd in passer rating, and 17th in QBR, which paints a picture of him being the beneficiary of a strong run game and defense.
He has thrown for 300 yards just once this season, and it was against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that ranks last in the league in nearly every statistic. If the Raiders can slow down the Broncos' rushing attack, they should be able to limit the number of points they allow. It sounds like Graham is confident that the Raiders can do that.