Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders

Entering their Week 10 bye week, the Las Vegas Raiders held a 5-4 record and sat just one game back of the AFC Wild Card spots, with a manageable remaining schedule that included four home games and matchups against teams with losing records. Optimism surrounded the franchise, as the defense had emerged as a top-10 unit and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had shown signs of consistency after a slow start. However, the bye week—typically a chance to rest, refocus, and fix flaws—instead marked a turning point for the worse: in the six games since returning, the Raiders have gone 1-5, with costly losses to division rivals and bottom-feeders alike. Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders examines the factors behind this post-bye collapse, from offensive stagnation to defensive lapses, and how it has pushed the team’s playoff aspirations to the brink. For a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021, the post-bye slump is a bitter setback that raises questions about coaching, roster depth, and long-term direction.

Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders begins with the offensive struggles that have defined the post-bye stretch. Before the bye, the Raiders averaged 24.1 points per game and ranked 15th in total offense; since then, those numbers have plummeted to 16.8 points per game and 28th in total offense. A key issue has been Garoppolo’s inconsistent play: the quarterback threw 10 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions in the first nine games, but has since tossed 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, including a critical pick-six in a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12. The running game, which relied on Josh Jacobs’ 850 yards pre-bye, has also stalled—Jacobs has averaged just 3.2 yards per carry since returning, hampered by a lingering ankle injury and a offensive line that has allowed 12 sacks in six games. “We thought the bye week would let us clean up some offensive issues, but we’ve taken a step back,” Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi admitted in a post-game press conference. “We’re not executing plays, we’re not converting third downs (28% post-bye, down from 41% pre-bye), and that’s on all of us—coaches and players.” The offensive slump was never more evident than in Week 14, when the Raiders managed just 10 points and 212 total yards in a loss to the 4-9 New England Patriots.

A critical factor in the Raiders’ post-bye collapse, highlighted in Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders, is the sudden decline of a defense that had been a strength. Before the bye, the Raiders ranked 8th in total defense (310 yards per game) and 6th in sacks (26), led by star defensive end Maxx Crosby’s 9 sacks. Since then, however, the defense has surrendered an average of 348 yards per game and has recorded just 7 sacks, with opposing quarterbacks completing 67% of their passes against them. The slide began in Week 11 against the Miami Dolphins, when the Raiders allowed 42 points and 450 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that sealed the win. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham attributed part of the issue to injuries—cornerback Amik Robertson and linebacker Denzel Perryman both missed multiple games post-bye—but acknowledged that execution has been lacking. “We’re not playing with the same intensity we had before the bye,” Graham said. “We’re missing tackles, we’re giving up big plays in crucial moments, and that’s not the standard we set earlier in the season.” The defense’s struggles were particularly costly in Week 15, when they allowed the Denver Broncos to score 17 fourth-quarter points to erase a 10-point Raiders lead.

Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders also delves into the impact of the Raiders’ remaining schedule, which has gone from “manageable” to “daunting” due to their post-bye slump. With just three games left, the Raiders sit at 6-9, two games back of the final AFC Wild Card spot, and face a brutal finish: road games against the Kansas City Chiefs (11-4) and Denver Broncos (7-8), plus a home matchup against the Indianapolis Colts (8-7). Even if the Raiders win all three games—a tall order given their recent form—they would still need multiple teams ahead of them to lose, including the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, who hold tiebreakers over Las Vegas. For the Las Vegas Raiders, the math is simple: any loss in the final three weeks will officially eliminate them from playoff contention. “We still control our destiny in the sense that we need to win out, but we know how hard that will be,” head coach Josh McDaniels said. “The bye week didn’t go as planned, and we’ve dug ourselves a hole. Now we have to fight like hell to climb out of it—even if the odds are against us.”

Another layer of the Raiders’ post-bye struggles, explored in Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders, is the erosion of team morale and fan confidence. After the Week 13 loss to the Chargers, videos surfaced of fans booing the team as they left the field at Allegiant Stadium, and local sports radio hosts have called for McDaniels’ job. Season-ticket holders have taken to social media to express frustration, with many noting that the post-bye collapse feels like a repeat of past Raiders seasons—full of early promise, only to fade down the stretch. The team’s front office has remained quiet publicly, but sources close to the organization have indicated that a full review of the coaching staff and roster will take place after the season. For the Las Vegas Raiders, the loss of fan trust is almost as damaging as the on-field losses, as the franchise relies on a passionate fan base to fill Allegiant Stadium and support long-term initiatives. “We understand the fans’ frustration—we’re frustrated too,” Crosby said in a recent interview. “We had a chance to make something special this year, and we let it slip. Now we have to play for pride, for each other, and for the fans who still believe in us.”

Looking ahead to the final three games, Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders outlines the small but slim path to the playoffs—and the changes needed to avoid a similar collapse next season. To have any chance, the Raiders must win all three games, hope the Colts lose at least two of their remaining three, and rely on other results to break their way. On the field, that means fixing the offensive line to protect Garoppolo, getting Jacobs back to full health, and rekindling the defensive intensity that defined the first half of the season. Long-term, the Raiders need to address roster depth—particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary—and evaluate whether McDaniels is the right coach to lead the team forward. For the Las Vegas Raiders, the post-bye slump has been a harsh lesson in consistency and resilience. “This season isn’t over yet, but we know we’ve let a golden opportunity slip away,” McDaniels said. “We have three games left to show what this team is made of—not just for the playoffs, but for the future of this franchise.”

Playoff Hopes Dimmed After Bye Week for the Las Vegas Raiders ultimately tells a story of missed opportunity—a team that had the pieces to compete for a playoff spot, only to unravel at the worst possible time. The post-bye collapse has exposed flaws in coaching, roster construction, and in-game execution, and it leaves the Raiders with a long off-season of soul-searching. For fans, the disappointment is palpable, but there are still glimmers of hope: Crosby remains one of the NFL’s top defensive players, Jacobs has proven he can be a workhorse back, and the franchise has the financial flexibility to make key additions in free agency. As the Raiders play out the final weeks of the season, they’ll be playing not just for a slim playoff chance, but for the chance to restore confidence in a fan base that has waited too long for consistent success. In the end, the post-bye slump may be a setback—but it could also be a catalyst for the changes needed to turn the Las Vegas Raiders into a perennial contender.