Matchup with lowly Titans gives lowly Raiders chance to rebound

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2025 Raiders-Bears Warmups

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis, left, listens to Raiders head coach Pete Carroll before an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Chicago Bears at Allegiant Stadium Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

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• Who: Titans (1-4) at Raiders (1-4)

• When: 1:05 p.m.

• Where: Allegiant Stadium

• TV: FOX 5

• Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920 AM, KOMP 92.3 FM

• Betting line: Raiders -4.5, over/under 41.5

This game is not going to be a television ratings bonanza. No non-Raiders or Titans fans are going to be circling this matchup as one to watch in Week 6.

Las Vegas and Tennessee are both afterthoughts in the NFL right now. They’ve been two of the worst teams in the league so far. Las Vegas has lost three in a row after a 40-6 beatdown at Indianapolis last week. Tennessee notched its first win hours later, 22-21 at Arizona, but only through an unbelievable set of circumstances. The Cardinals lost three fumbles in the game, including when running back Emari Demercado dropped the ball inches before breaking goal-line plane and another off their own interception that the Titans recovered for a touchdown.

At least the Raiders and Titans are both young teams with hope for the future. Titans quarterback Cam Ward was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft and, although he’s struggled, he’s shown glimpses of his arm strength and playmaking ability. It’s also been an up-and-down campaign for the Raiders’ No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, but the running back out of Boise State electrified Allegiant in his last game there with 155 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in a 25-24 loss to the Bears.

Favorable matchup: Raiders’ Pete Carroll vs. Titans’ Brian Callahan

The Raiders’ veteran coach sits with a 182-135-1 all-time record in the NFL; the Titans’ second-year leader improved to 4-18 with the miracle Cardinals’ win last week. The records could speak for themselves, but the two coaches’ reputations might make for an even larger divide. Carroll remains highly respected in a football circles while there’s a growing consensus that Callahan is the worst coach in the league. Much of the Titans’ underperformance falls on his shoulders for baffling endgame decisions that have cost his team close games. Among his transgressions are admitting to not understanding the catch rule in a 20-12 loss at Denver in Week 1 when he should have challenged a reception that was ruled an incompletion on the field with his team down one point late in the third quarter. Carroll has come under a lot of fire for promising to field a winner with the Raiders immediately but presenting a product that looks nowhere close to that. But if there was ever a perfect spot for him to regain some goodwill and get his team back headed in the right direction, it would seem to be against Callahan and the Titans.

“It’s taking longer than I expected. It depends on how you put it together and how it comes together. I feel like there’s no doubt that it’s going to and we’ve just got to get it right and get away from the big plays that are causing huge impacts.” -Carroll on the Raiders’ slow start and trying to change the franchise into a winner

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“You can’t play cornerback in this league and not have a short memory. When you see on tape someone get beat, it’s not just one person’s fault.” -Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham defending and expressing confidence in Kyu Blu Kelly

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“Six of the interceptions this year were tipped in the air — Johnny-on-the-spot defensive guy. Am I going to look at that and say, ‘Well, don’t throw it to the guy who we’re supposed to throw it to?’ No, I’m going to throw it to the guy I’m supposed to and, at times, things happen. People get caught up in results and they want to look at statistics and try to place blame because that’s just how life goes when you’re in the position I’m in. But I’m a lot smarter than that and I’m aware of the process.” -Raiders quarterback Geno Smith defends himself and describes not losing confidence despite leading the NFL with nine interceptions

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“Especially coming off a loss, you feel the soreness a little bit more. The doubt starts to creep in, things like that. For me, as a leader, it’s my job to get that (expletive) out of here. That’s not how we’re going to operate. If we want to win, if we want to get that bad taste of our mouth, we’ve got to respond.” -Edge rusher Maxx Crosby on keeping his teammates focused amid a losing steak

Problematic matchup: Raiders’ offensive line vs. Titans’ defensive line

It might be getting tiresome to hear about the Raiders’ blocking woes on a weekly basis, but they loom especially large this week against the Titans. Tennessee’s biggest, if not only, strength is its defensive line led by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said Simmons might be the best player at his position in the NFL, and that he’s instructed his team to, “know where No. 98 is at all times.” That’s where it could get tricky as Tennessee moves around Simmons frequently and pairs him with different combinations of players including most notably former Raider edge rusher Arden Key. Las Vegas’ interior offensive line has been a recurring issue as Carroll’s training camp decision to swap Jackson Powers-Johnson from center to right guard and Jordan Meredith from right guard to center seems to have backfired. Las Vegas’ tackles haven’t been much better, not now at least with journeyman backup Stone Forsythe now filling in for the injured Kolton Miller. Forsythe was the worst graded Raiders’ offensive lineman against the Colts by Pro Football Focus, though it’s worth noting the other four starters all improved from their baseline over the first four weeks. But Simmons & Co. will put their uptick to the test today.

Gamebreaker: Cornerback Darien Porter

The third-round drafted rookie out of Iowa State made the first start of his career against the Colts with Eric Stokes sidelined because of a knee injury and held up pretty well. He wasresponsible for giving up one reception for nine yards according to PFF’s charting data. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham praised Porter’s tackling ability, which he said had come a long way in only five months since he started practicing as a professional. The former receiver only started playing cornerback three years ago, so there continues to be a learning curve but the Raiders’ coaching staff have at different timesfelt like he was clicking ahead of schedule. Porter was the starter at the opposite cornerback spot of Stokes for much of training camp before getting beaten out by veteran Kyu Blu Kelly late. He’s carved a rotational role out for himself going forward at minimum but could get more work depending on Stokes’ health status and whether the staff continues to trust Kelly. This could be a spot for Porter to break out with the Titans likely willing to test the rookie with frequent targets and Ward having thrown an interception in three straight games.

Big Number: 346

Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly has given up 346 receiving yards this season, the most in the NFL according to PFF. That’s 34 more yards than second-to-last defensive back Tyson Campbell, who was traded from Jacksonville to Cleveland this week, and he has played 40 more snaps and been targeted 10 more times. To say the least, Kelly is struggling, and opponents are tailoring their game plans to attack him. The 24-year-old Bishop Gorman High graduate emerged as the story of training camp by earning a starting role after coming in considered unlikely to even make the roster. He got off to a strong start too, making plays throughout a Week 1 win at the Patriots, but has regressed in a major way since then. Las Vegas needed at least two cornerbacks to emerge and prove they could play at a high level this season but, so far, former Green Bay Packer Eric Stokes is the only one who’s consistently excelled. Time hasn’t run out on Kelly yet, but he’ll need to turn his play around quickly to keep his job.

Best Bet (3-2): Jakobi Meyers over 52.5 receiving yards

Also consider backing Meyers to score a touchdown at odds of around 2-to-1. The original plan was to go with a bet on the Raiders’ top receiver to score, but yards might be a safer way to exploit what should be a plus-matchup for the veteran. The Titans are one of the eight worst pass defenses in the NFL by multiple metrics, and they’ve struggled the most to cover No. 1 receivers and those who line up in the middle of the field per the DVOA ratings. Meyers checks both boxes. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet this year and has two straight games where he’s hauled in only four catches for 32 yards or fewer. Both those streaks will end against the Titans.

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