Is Chip Kelly on the Hot Seat? Breaking Down the Raiders’ TNF Collapse in Denver

RAIDERS VS. BRONCOS POST-GAME REACTION PODCAST

Looking for instant reaction to Thursday night’s loss in Denver? Watch the latest episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast, where I break down everything that went wrong for the Raiders — from Chip Kelly’s puzzling play-calling and Brock Bowers’ limited usage to the self-inflicted mistakes that doomed Vegas’ offense. I also spotlight what the defense did right and what this game revealed about where the Raiders go from here. Tap the video above for the full breakdown and analysis straight from the field.

CRAZY STAT

The Raiders’ offense went over 28 minutes without a first down on Thursday vs. the Broncos.

RAIDERS OFFENSE DROPS THE BALL

We know the Raiders offense has had issues all year, but Thursday night was a game they could have won with even a mediocre day on that side of the ball. Instead, they squandered a heck of an effort from the defense.

ROOKIE MISTAKES

First, there were the penalties and self-inflicted wounds by the rookies. Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. both committed penalties that wiped big plays and a touchdown off the board. Then Ashton Jeanty, who has been a reliable pass catcher, let a ball bounce off his chest and into the arms of Dondrea Tillman. The defense made another stand, but that was yet another squandered opportunity for the Raiders in a 7-7 ballgame on a drive that started at midfield. On the ensuing drive, Thornton dropped a perfect ball from Geno that would have put them in field goal position and opened the door for them to take a 10-7 lead into the half. Point blank, the Raiders aren’t good enough to overcome self-inflicted wounds like that.

NOTHING GOING ALL NIGHT

Plays like those above rid an offense of any chance of catching a rhythm, and that was the case on Thursday. While the defense forced a pair of turnovers and seven total three-and-outs, the offense went over 28 minutes without a first down, allowed six sacks, 21 pressures, and went 4-for-15 on third down. Add it up and you’ve got an offense that’s been held to under ten points four times in nine games with the league’s highest-paid offensive coordinator sitting up in the booth.

BROCK NEARLY BLANKED

Last but not least, they only managed to get the ball to Brock Bowers one time. After posting 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars last week, they targeted Brock Bowers just three times on the night.

Geno acknowledged the same thing about Denver’s defense against Brock, but said they have to figure out a way to get their star tight end involved, no matter what the defense is doing.

JPJ COULD MISS SOME TIME

Starting right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and it sounds like he could miss some extended time.

JPJ was playing the best of any of their offensive linemen since Kolton Miller went down with an injury, so that’s a huge loss for the Raiders going forward.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

RAIDERS ROUNDERS

THE BEST BETS OF THE WEEK FOR THE NFL SLATE OF GAMES

We’ve rolled out something new for Raider Nation this season: Raiders Rounders. Each week, I team up with betting analyst Matt Perrault (The Bostonian vs The Book, The Daily Juice) to spotlight the best Raiders bets of the week and a few smart plays from around the NFL. Think of it as the perfect mix of insider football talk and betting insight, giving you a sharper look at how Vegas views the Silver & Black — from player props to game lines — and where the edges might be heading into Sunday. Since the Raiders played on TNF tonight, this is more of a recap of how Matt fared this week, and a look ahead to his best bets of the weekend.

With that in mind, what had heading into the game and how that panned out for him:

• Raiders + 9.5 - Which actually hit since they only lost by three points.

• Ashton Jeanty Anytime TD - Matt noted this has been a rinse and repeat for him every week and this week it was again.

Here’s Matt’s best bets of the weekend’s slate of NFL games:

Falcons + 6.5 vs. the Colts

Houston + 1.5 vs. the Jaguars

Buccaneers -2.5 vs. the Patriots

Chargers -2.5 vs. the Steelers, but Matt said he doesn’t love this game. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have been lights out in prime-time games.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Raiders Rounders is all about sharing our perspective on the game. These aren’t betting recommendations — any wagers you place are 100% your responsibility. Bet responsibly.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day. This week, we’re throwing it back to a much better outing for Brock Bowers, his return to action against the Jaguars. He’s flashin’ the touchdown signal here, something he did a lot of last Sunday at Allegiant, hauling in 12 catches, for 127 yards, and 3 touchdowns. We’ll see if they can get him involved again against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Since the Raiders played on Thursday Night Football, the practice schedule and our newsletter schedule are gonna be tweaked a little bit next week.

Since the Thursday Night game provides a chance for a mini bye week, the Raiders are taking the weekend off and won’t return to practice until Monday afternoon. Pete Carroll will talk after practice that day, too, so that will be our next opportunity to get his take on tonight’s game and the upcoming Monday Night Football matchup with the Cowboys. They’ll also practice on Tuesday afternoon and then take the day off on Wednesday before returning to a normal schedule the rest of the week.

I’ll be taking advantage of the mini bye week myself, and getting some R&R with the family for the weekend, so since the game was last night, we won’t drop a newsletter on Monday morning. Instead, keep an eye out for our next addition dropping next Friday at 6 a.m. PT, where we’ll preview the game against Dallas and recap the week that was at practice.

Catch ya next time,