Las Vegas Raiders Stuck in Familiar Freefall as 2026 NFL Draft Looms

Losses piling up in Las Vegas are nothing new, especially for the Raiders.

Here they go again.

Now 2-8 and currently tied for third in the projected 2026 NFL Draft order, next year is about all that's left for the franchise to play for with seven games remaining.

They'll do a lot to define that future in the final six games of the season. Two other two-win teams — the Browns on Sunday and a season finale with the New York Giants — are on the schedule with the Chargers, Broncos, Eagles and Texans sandwiched between.

Pete Carroll and the Raiders hobbled through his first season on the job devoid of essentials for competing in today's NFL.

Casting their lot with Geno Smith via trade with the Seahawks was fine, but the requisite next step was addressing a cheesecloth offensive line. Without blue-chip blockers, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has scrapped for almost every yard gained this season. Of his 554 rushing yards, 470 were gained after contact. Without a No. 1 receiver, Jeanty faces more than seven men in the box on virtually every carry.

Re-signing Maxx Crosby to a long-term extension was a win, but he doesn't have enough help around him to consistently deliver a meaningful impact.

"I was really disappointed that we didn't stop them more," Carroll said Monday night. "There was a space in that game, three or four drives in a row, and we couldn't get off the field."

A wide-lens look at the Raiders does reveal a few building blocks in place. But Las Vegas doesn't have the playmakers to square with the best in the AFC or the middle-of-the-pack in the NFC (Dallas). Not right now.

With the Raiders trailing 33-16 in the fourth quarter, Las Vegas came up with a stop with over 11 minutes to play and a chance to make it interesting. But a fourth consecutive loss was served instead when the Dallas defense stuffed Jeanty in his own end zone for a safety.

Smith was the Raiders' leading rusher. Jeanty? The No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft totaled seven yards on six carries.

"We're not good enough right now," Crosby said. "There's a lot of issues and we got to find ways to get better. Find solutions instead of just doing the same thing expecting a different result. We've got to find ways to get better and it takes everybody."

Crosby and the Raiders have been at this very intersection before. They know the view from the bottom.

On Monday (Nov. 17), a loss to the Cowboys leaves the Raiders with two wins, eight losses and seven games remaining.

Last season, a Nov. 17 loss dropped the Raiders to 2-8. 

In 2023, consecutive wins over the Giants and Jets to start November had Las Vegas at 5-5. Then they lost three in a row.

In 2022, they were 2-7 at this point in the season.

Yes, losses are common in Vegas. Fortunes do change.

But will the Raiders continue to turn over the same cards?