A rematch at home is something to look forward to, unless you’re a Raiders fan. The Las Vegas Raiders let fans down yet again after falling 24-17 to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. A game that wasn’t even close to the same matchup from last month. In addition to team worries, head coach Pete Carroll believes there was something else that hurt them. 

“We’re gonna need the fans to support us, I know we’ve gotta give them something to cheer about,” he told the press, according to Vegas Sports Today. “I’m not faulting them to be here when it turns, so they can be a part of it.”

During a post-game conference, Carroll called out the fact that due to a lack of Raiders fans, the atmosphere inside Allegiant Stadium wasn’t on his team’s side. Instead of the proud black, the stadium seemed to be filled with the Denver orange. On Sunday, Broncos fans came in enormous crowds, cheering loudly when their team took the field. They even chanted “Let’s go, Broncos!” during crucial moments. 

However, after calling the fans out, Carroll also empathized with their plight. He also acknowledged that Las Vegas is a popular destination, making the tickets “hot” for everyone. Further, Carroll clarified that if the Raiders are going to flip the script, the fans must back their players. 

Carroll stressed that for the Raiders to reverse their fortunes, the journey back to winning must be a shared one with the fans in the stadium. When that happens, the coach wants fans to witness it. He wants them to watch the Silver and Black not from afar, but by standing in the stadium and rooting for them. In his view, the Raiders’ journey back to winning has to be done together. Unfortunately, the Week 14 matchup brought another blow for the team.

Pete Carroll’s QB faced a health setback

While the HC maintained that the game had positives, there were other issues beyond their control that came into play as well. Raiders’ quarterback Geno Smith hurt his right shoulder late in the third quarter. He sustained the injury while completing a short 3-yard pass to tight end Brock Bowers. 

The play happened, but he got banged up pretty obviously. It’s just kind of jammed up right now,” Carroll said about the injury in his post-game comments. “Early indications is that it didn’t show any damage. His shoulder is really locked up. So we’ll see what that means.”

With Smith out, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett stepped in and delivered a solid performance in the fourth quarter with 97 yards and a touchdown. This cameo delivered far more than his initial lone pass attempt for no yards in the previous matchup earlier in their 7-10 loss.

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Coach Carroll would certainly want the quarterback to start in the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles if the player recovers by then. Meanwhile, the shoulder hit wasn’t the only injury Smith suffered on Sunday.

During the third quarter, he took a hit from defensive end Zach Allen and linebacker Nik Bonitto and got his right hand cut. Trainers checked him on the sideline, and Smith returned to the field while pushing through the pain. Before exiting, the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year completed 13 of 21 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Despite his decent numbers, the Raiders couldn’t put an end to their seven-game losing streak.