The Las Vegas Raiders are now 1-4 during the 2025 NFL season after an embarrassing 40-6 defeat against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5. Nothing went right for the team, as they gave up 40 unanswered points after jumping out to a 3-0 lead.
Obviously, the No. 1 fix for this brutally ineffective Raiders offense would be making a switch at quarterback from Geno Smith to Kenny Pickett. While it may not be better, it certainly can't be worse, and it would at least be different.
However, Pete Carroll seems dead set on keeping Smith in the lineup, so offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will be the one who is forced to adjust. It will be tough with a hobbled Brock Bowers and no Kolton Miller, but there's an obvious change for Kelly to make in regards to Ashton Jeanty.
Raiders' Chip Kelly must rely on Ashton Jeanty in the red zone
No matter how well the Raiders' star rookie running back plays, Kelly absolutely refuses to rely on him in the red zone. Instead, he chooses to put the ball in the hands of Smith, who has a habit of making ill-advised decisions in the most critical portion of the field.
According to the Associated Press's Josh Dubow, Las Vegas has run 31 plays in the red zone this season, and they have only handed the ball off to Jeanty on nine of them. This is unbelievable malpractice from a veteran playcaller.
Jeanty showed in Week 4 that he can be a lethal weapon in the red zone, as he caught two passes inside the 10-yard line for a touchdown. This week, however, he was hardly utilized at all inside the 20-yard line, and it cost the Raiders dearly.
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Kelly's insistence on throwing the ball and letting Smith determine whether the team scores or not backfired on multiple occasions. Not only did Smith miss Ian Thomas for an obvious touchdown and instead take a sack, but he also threw a critical pick, which was the tipping point in the game.
On Sunday, Jeanty ran 14 times for 67 yards, which is 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught a team-high five passes for 42 yards. Despite 20 touches for 109 yards, Jeanty is seemingly invisible to Kelly in the red zone, even though he is the team's best offensive player with Bowers sidelined.
To make matters worse, Dylan Parham, Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze all played really well on the offensive line, so if there was a day to trust Jeanty in short-yardage, it was Sunday. But Kelly did not, and the Raiders won't improve until he does.