The Las Vegas Raiders' pitiful results during the 2025 NFL season meant that there was plenty of blame to go around. The fan base has no problem pointing the finger, as that is ultimately harmless, but when players and coaches start to do it in press conferences, that is when things turn disastrous.
Geno Smith certainly played a major factor in the offense's struggles, but Brennan Carroll and the offensive line deserve the lion's share for this effort. Pete Carroll also found out on Monday that he was held responsible for the team's three-win campaign, as he was fired following the season's end.
Portions of Raider Nation even began to assign defensive coordinator Patrick Graham his share of blame, as Las Vegas' defense ranked 25th in the league in scoring defense and gave up 30 or more points on eight occasions. But this wild stat from the season should fully exonerate Graham.
Raiders' time of possession in 2025 makes Pat Graham look even better
In every game, it felt like fans were only watching Las Vegas' defense play. The offense clearly had issues with avoiding turnovers and putting points on the board, but more critically, they seemingly failed to sustain drives or possess the football. That is backed by a myriad of stats.
Las Vegas possessed the ball for 476 minutes and 49 seconds this season in comparison to their opponents' 552 minutes and 55 seconds. That means that the Raiders had the ball 76 minutes and 6 seconds fewer than their opponents. That is over five quarters of football, and dead last in the NFL.
The offense basically played seven games and three quarters, but the defense played nine games and an extra quarter. This stark difference surely weighed on the defense throughout the season. Only six times in 17 games did the Raiders possess the ball more, and only twice in the last 11 weeks.
RELATED: 10 Raiders players who definitely won't be back after disastrous 2025
Yes, Graham's defense could have provided more resistance at times, as long drives against them defined many matchups. An inability to get sacks and takeaways also plagued this unit. But the Las Vegas offense did them zero favors in 2025, as this was nowhere near complementary football.
Countless times throughout the year, the offense turned the ball over in Raiders territory as well, so those short drives don't even factor into this equation, and the points that Las Vegas allowed are a bit of an unfair metric.
Nobody would argue that Graham is one of the elite defensive coordinators in the NFL, and his time in Sin City is likely to be done. But if he wasn't saddled by poor talent and an inept offense every season with the Raiders, fans can only imagine what he might have accomplished with the Silver and Black.