Outside of the New York Giants, four of the five remaining opponents for the Las Vegas Raiders either have a winning record or is even at .500.

That final four are intent on getting the best possible seed in the postseason dance or getting into the playoffs so winning out is of utmost importance. Then, there’s the G-Men the odd duck of the group.

Not an enticing slate to close out a moribund 2025 campaign for Pete Carroll’s 2-10 overall desert marauders. Well, for those in Raider Nation that prefer more Ls to stack to ensure the highest possible pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Raiders remaining slate is a glorious stretch run to behold.

Looking at the five remaining tilts, seeing another win is a longshot — even with the Giants the second-to-last contest.

“There were positives in there that we’re able to try to build on. That’s all we can do at this time, and see if we can’t keep our focus on building on the things that we can do, and try to minimize and eliminate the things that we can’t do,” Carroll said during his Monday press conference a day after his team’s 31-14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

By The Numbers:
Raiders Remaining Opponents
(Records heading into Week 14)

Vs. Denver Broncos (10-2)At Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)At Houston Texans (7-5)Vs. New York Giants (2-11)Vs. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)

The first game on the Raiders’ remaining slate is a doozy. Talk about two division foes heading in completely opposite directions. The galloping Denver Broncos who reign supreme atop the AFC West with a 10-2 record visiting the near-flatlined Raiders who have 10 defeats and just two victories. Winners of nine straight and trying to earn the conference’s top seed (and primo first-round bye in the playoffs), Denver isn’t going to lose sight of that postseason carrot.

Especially after a nailbiter of a 27-26 overtime win at the Washington Commanders this past Sunday night.

Denver brings the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense (218 total points, 18.2 points per game average) and fifth-best unit in yards allowed (3,437 yards total) to Las Vegas. And that doesn’t bode well for a Raiders team ranked 31st in points scored (179 total, 14.9 points per game average) and 30th in yards gained (3,114 total). A matchup of a daunting defense versus an obtuse offense doesn’t favor the Silver & Black — at all.

Following that AFC West matchup, Carroll’s crew heads East for a clash at the Philadelphia Eagles. Losers of back-to-back games (24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys followed by a 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears), Philly draws the Los Angeles Chargers (also 8-4 overall) for a primetime tilt this Monday night. The Bolts are fresh off a win over the Raiders and if they topple the Eagles, expect Philadelphia to get desperate to stay atop the NFC East when it hosts Las Vegas.

The road trip continues for the Raiders after the Week 15 trek to the North East as the Silver & Black head to the Lone Star state to face the Houston Texans. Starting out 3-5, Houston won four straight games powered by the league’s top ranked defense — in both points (198) and yards (3,188) allowed. Head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke developed and orchestrate a Texans defense that stymied the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back weeks.

Houston wants to make it a three-way fight for the AFC South crown with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Colts, so losing any steam is detrimental to their postseason aspirations. The Texans face the Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals before the Dec. 21 home game against the Raiders.

Fortunately for the Silver & Black (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the final two games on the schedule are in Las Vegas.

The G-Men sit at 2-11 overall after getting rocked 33-15 by the New England Patriots (11-2) this past Monday night. And who knows what New York’s overall mark will be by the time they stroll into Sin City for a Week 17 Sunday afternoon matchup with Las Vegas in Allegiant Stadium. New York has a late bye week this week then faces the Commanders and Minnesota Vikings before traveling to Vegas. The Giants have lost seven straight heading into a much-needed hiatus but did make both the Broncos and Lions sweat with close losses (33-32 and 34-27 in overtime).

Then there’s the 6-6 Kansas City Chiefs who are tunnel visioned into winning the remainder of their games to make a playoff push sitting third in the AFC West. There’s no margin of error left, Big Red needs to run the table and win out or miss the playoffs altogether. I mean, head coach Andy Reid said “We’re going to tickle your tonsils on every play.” Before Kansas City gets to this regular season finale, though, it’ll face the Chargers and Broncos with a tilt against the Texans and Tennessee Titans mixed in. Even a knocked out Chiefs team would be a precipitous challenge for the Raiders.

Upsets do happen in the NFL. And while another Raiders’ victory after six straight losses — the team’s last victory arrived on Oct. 12, 20-10 against the Titans — appears due, the uncompetitive nature of this football team is disconcerting.

It’s a fundamentally bad Raiders squad. Missed tackles on defense, inability to block in the trenches, is resulting in staggering offensive struggles.

“Yeah, we work on it really hard with a lot of emphasis. We make a big deal about it. We have a whole style. You know about that, of how we do it, and we just have to come through and finish technique strong and do it right and take advantage of all of the work,” Carroll said when asked about the missed tackles being an issue this late into the season. “So, it’s kind of been spread out. A number of guys have been on the perimeter a lot, and we don’t make the plays right off the bat. And so, now guys get into more vulnerable positions, but we have ways to teach that. We teach it and we drill the heck out of it. So, we just got to do it better.”

Do it better has been quite the misadventure thus far.

Do you see a win in the Raiders’ remaining contests?