The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview book. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2025 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Las Vegas Raiders performed from a penalty perspective in 2024 and where they can improve in 2025.
How Did Penalties Impact the Las Vegas Raiders?
The Good
- The Raiders ranked 27th in penalties per game. Incoming coach Pete Carroll has a history of having less than disciplined teams, so expect a penalty uptick from the Raiders in 2025.
- The Raiders ranked 32nd in pre-snap penalties per game.
- In raw numbers, the Raiders defense ranked 27th in defensive penalties per game.
- The Raiders defense was a top-five unit at generating offensive holding penalties on opposing offenses, the second consecutive season they ranked highly in this category.
- The defense was a top 10 unit at generating false starts on opposing offenses.
The Bad
- Two discipline related penalties (roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness) accounted for 15% of the Raiders' penalties. That was almost double the percentage compared to the NFL average of 7.8% for these two categories.
- The Raiders offense ranked No. 1 for offensive pass interference penalties.
Grade: B+
The new look Geno Smith and Pete Carroll led Raiders have created some buzz in the offseason, but is it enough to close the gap on their divisional foes?
The Carroll/Smith combination finished with a slightly above .500 record and a playoff appearance during their two seasons together in Seattle.
While not an earth shattering record, it is superior to anything the Raiders have accomplished in recent seasons.
Vegas’ formula for success will be straightforward.
Rely on their defense to create chaos up front for opposing offenses while leaning heavily on rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and star tight end Brock Bowers on offense.
If all goes well, Las Vegas can be an eight win team, but the overall roster has holes, and Smith is the fourth-best quarterback in this division.
Unfortunately for Raiders fans, that adds up to another last place finish in a loaded AFC West.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
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