On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders (AFC West) fell to the Indianapolis Colts (AFC South) 40–6 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The loss dropped the Raiders to 1–4 and exposed major issues across all three phases. Quarterback Geno Smith threw two interceptions and now leads the league with nine through five games.
Head coach Pete Carroll said he was “processing it poorly” after the blowout. “We expected to win right out of the shoot,” Carroll said. He blamed special teams errors and turnovers, calling them “so significant that they’re factoring into the game obviously.”
“This week was a whole different situation,” he added. “This was the result is very similar to the Commanders' game. So, hoping we go back home we play right again and we get a game going and get moving.”
The Colts earned one of their biggest 20-point wins in team history through five games, exposing major problems for the Las Vegas. The Raiders showed no complementary play and little sustained pressure, leaving the defense “tired at the end.”
However, Carroll took full responsibility and said:
"It's on us, all of us,” Carroll said. “It's not on the players, it's on all of us to get that right. Myself totally included in all of that... I thought it would be last week at home. I thought that we go on the road and we're going to get done this week. And I'm going to keep thinking that way."
The defeat showed the Colts are a good team that doesn’t “play around with their food” against weak opponents. The Colts converted eight of ten third downs and scored on all six red zone trips. Linebacker Devin White said third-down defense doomed the Raiders. “We just got to make those plays,” White said. “That’s money down. We’ve got to go get it.”
Running back Ashton Jeanty led the Raiders offense with over 100 yards from scrimmage but said the team failed to “finish drives in the red zone.” Defensive leader Maxx Crosby agreed, saying that after the first two series, “nothing really went well.”
Despite calls for a change, Carroll kept Smith in the game. “He needs the reps,” Carroll said. “He has to run the system to improve.”
In the post-game presser, Smith stayed confident, saying his focus is on solutions. “I’m looking at how we can be better, how I can be better for my guys,” he said.
NFL Analyst James Jones said the Raiders are “a better football team than we’re putting on the grass right now.”
“Four straight weeks in a row we've lost the turnover battle, and we are on four,” James added. “Defense and special teams have to travel, and we got to protect the football, man.”
Colts QB Daniel Jones completed 20 of 29 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Smith finished 25 of 36 for 228 yards and two interceptions. In rushing yards, the leaders were Jonathan Taylor (17 car, 66 yds, 3 TDs) and Ashton Jeanty (14 car, 67 yds); and the leaders in receiving yards were Ashton Dulin (2 rec, 55 yds) and Tre Tucker (4 rec, 62 yds).
The Las Vegas Raiders now face a must-win home game next week against the Tennessee Titans before a tough road trip to Kansas City.