The Las Vegas Raiders‘ losing streak went up to seven games following the Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. However, that’s not the only major blow the team suffered.
During the game, cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly had to be carted off the field due to a knee injury. It seemed very serious, as the whole team gathered around him while trainers worked on him.
After the game, head coach Pete Carroll suggested that it was a bad injury, and he was correct. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Kelly suffered a ruptured patella tendon against Denver. Fortunately, there was no ligament damage, but the cornerback’s season is over.
This is a devastating blow for Kelly, who had earned a starting role with the Raiders this season. He struggled in coverage, but does lead the team with three interceptions. The Raiders are already very thin in the secondary, so losing Kelly only exacerbates that issue.
Rookie Darien Porter has been battling Kelly for more snaps all season, so he’ll likely take over as the starter. Decamerion Richardson should also see a bigger role going forward, but don’t be surprised if the Raiders address cornerback in free agency. Greedy Vance was also recently promoted to the active roster and should now have a chance to see the field.
Raiders Not Giving up Yet
The Raiders were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after the Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, so they easily could’ve laid an egg against the Broncos. It wasn’t a great performance, but Las Vegas did keep itself in the game until the end.
The Raiders have moved up to No. 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft order, and might have the worst roster in the league right now. Despite that, Carroll appreciates that his players continue to fight.
“Our guys are fighting,” Caroll told reporters after Sunday’s loss. “They’re trying to keep this thing going, trying to get ourselves a chance to win a game but there’s just a couple aspects of it that we’re not able to hold up. We’ve just got to keep working.
“We know what we’re playing for, we’re playing for our pride, to do something good and play for the guys across from you.”
Players Are Frustrated
The Raiders aren’t just bad this season. They’re barely competitive. Even though they continue to play hard, they have a -136 point differential, which is second-worst in the NFL. It hasn’t been an easy season for the players, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty is surprised it has gone this poorly.
“Nobody expected to come into the season and lose this much,” Jeanty said postgame, via Raiders.com.
For the second season in a row, the Raiders have the worst rushing attack in the NFL. A big reason for that has been due to the poor play of the offensive line.
“We need to execute better,” offensive lineman Alex Cappa added. “Obviously we’re not winning games, so we’re not good enough to get Deuce [Ashton Jeanty] going. We’re not scoring enough points so overall we just got to execute better.”
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