The Las Vegas Raiders weathered the storm in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season against the New England Patriots. This was widely considered a good win, as the Patriots are thought to be one of the most improved teams in the conference this year.
But things will be much tougher in Week 2 when Las Vegas hosts their bitter AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, at Allegiant Stadium. This primetime Monday Night Football game will be an emotional matchup with massive implications for the division.
As such, the Raiders need to tighten up a bit against this superior opponent. That could very well start with head coach Pete Carroll making a different decision in terms of who he decides to have on the active roster come Monday night.
Raiders must activate Raheem Mostert in Week 2 vs. Chargers
Last week, veteran running back Raheem Mostert was surprisingly a healthy scratch for the Patriots game. Obviously, rookie Ashton Jeanty was expected to shoulder the load, but most figured Mostert and Zamir White would split whatever reps were left.
However, Jeanty played 54 snaps on Sunday, and White played just nine. White ran the ball three times for just eight yards and recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of 49.0. This was the third-worst mark on the Raiders' offense, and the fifth-worst on the team as a whole.
These coaches watched Mostert perform in various capacities this offseason, and he may very well have lost a step. But it seems like at least making him active and having him as an ace in the hole would be a smart move considering the rushing attack never got going in Week 1.
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Mostert clearly outperformed White during the preseason, and his track record in the NFL is much stronger. White does not necessarily need to be inactive, but Mostert could take the place of Justin Shorter, as he only played 11 special teams snaps, and because Alex Bachman was elevated from the practice squad anyway.
If the running game struggles once again on Monday, or if anything happens to Jeanty, the Raiders flat-out need a better contingency plan than White. At least have Mostert available to rotate in, as he's more trustworthy than White or Dylan Laube as a rusher right now.
Jeanty is likely to bounce back against the Chargers, which would make this need less pressing. But Las Vegas should always be prepared for emergencies and field the best team that they can, and that absolutely includes Mostert.