The Las Vegas Raiders have enjoyed zero stability over the last two decades, but especially in the five years since they relocated to Nevada. The hope is that the new tandem of John Spytek and Pete Carroll will persist, and it all starts in Week 1.
Carroll and the Raiders will travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots to begin the 2025 NFL season. This will be a battle of two once-great franchises that have struggled in recent years to find their winning ways again.
Standing in the way of a victory is a familiar face to Raider Nation, and the fan base will likely dissolve into chaos if this Week 1 scenario pans out in the first true test of the Carroll and Spytek era in Las Vegas.
Raiders fans will riot if Josh McDaniels-led offense is key to victory
Josh McDaniels, a disgraced former head coach of the Silver and Black, is now the offensive coordinator for the Patriots under head coach Mike Vrabel. This is now his third stint as the team's offensive play-caller after two failed head coaching gigs with the Raiders and Denver Broncos.
If McDaniels and the Patriots' offense, led by second-year stud quarterback Drake Maye, have success against the Las Vegas defense, Raider Nation will surely have some strong opinions about defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and his unit.
There is no doubting that McDaniels can run an efficient offense, especially when it is his only responsibility. However, after his ugly departure from the franchise, it would be outright embarrassing for him to have a hand in dismantling the Raiders' defense.
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This would be especially true if New England pulls out a victory. However, even a narrow Las Vegas win where they give up a bunch of points would be a black mark on the victory and a point of contention for Raider Nation.
Las Vegas' secondary, in particular, looks a bit shaky on paper, as they struggled throughout the preseason against primarily backups. They could go out and surprise people with more advanced defensive concepts, but there is a chance McDaniels and Co. get the better of them on Sunday.
It won't be the end of the world either way, as there are no moral victories or losses in the NFL. But as far as the fan base is concerned, it might be a nice morale boost to see the team's former head coach struggle to get anything going against a Raiders defense that is littered with question marks.