In a stunning shake-up that’s rocking the NFL landscape, the Las Vegas Raiders are hitting the reset button on their sputtering offense. Twelve weeks into the 2025 season, with a dismal 2-9 record hanging over them like a dark cloud, the team has axed Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly after just 11 lackluster games. Once pegged as a dark-horse playoff contender, the Silver and Black have instead plummeted into irrelevance, prompting this bold midseason pivot.
Stepping into the breach is a blast from the Raiders’ past: Greg Olson, the former Quarterbacks Coach who’s been elevated to interim Offensive Coordinator by Head Coach Pete Carroll. This marks Olson’s *third* go-round calling plays for the franchise—he previously held the reins from 2013-2014 and again between 2018-2021. It’s a homecoming laced with familiarity, but also immense pressure, as Olson inherits an offense that’s scraping the bottom of the barrel: ranked 30th in yards per game at a paltry 268.9 and tied for dead last in scoring with a meager 15 points per outing.
Carroll hasn’t minced words about his vision for revival, emphasizing a ramped-up ground game that’s been MIA under Kelly. Star running back Ashton Jeanty, expected to be a workhorse, has been stifled so far—now, Olson must unleash him to spark some life into this dormant attack.
And Olson? He’s no stranger to turning Raider tides. During his prior stints, he orchestrated a top-10 offense in 2020, while finishing 11th in total yards in both 2019 and 2021. Under his guidance, Josh Jacobs exploded for three consecutive seasons of over 1,200 scrimmage yards and at least seven touchdowns each year. Olson also squeezed career-best performances from Derek Carr, the turnover-prone gunslinger who found rhythm and reliability in those schemes.
Now, the spotlight shifts to what Olson can conjure with quarterback Geno Smith and the explosive Jeanty. It’s a tantalizing “what if” scenario, but the debut won’t be a soft landing. Olson’s first test comes against the Los Angeles Chargers, a defensive juggernaut ranking fifth in yards allowed and 10th in points surrendered per game. Yet, cracks are showing in LA’s armor: Their last outing was a humiliating 35-6 thrashing at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who gashed them for 192 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
The oddsmakers aren’t buying a Raider miracle just yet. Las Vegas enters as heavy underdogs, spotted 9.5 points on the spread and dangling at +420 on the moneyline via FanDuel. With the over/under hovering at 41.5, the stage is set for a potential shootout—or a Charger rout—pitting Olson’s revamped unit against Justin Herbert’s high-octane offense.
For Greg Olson, this third act in Vegas isn’t just a job—it’s a high-stakes gamble to salvage a lost season. Can he rediscover that old magic and flip the script? The Raiders’ faithful are holding their breath, hoping this bombshell change ignites the spark they’ve been craving. Buckle up; the Silver and Black’s redemption arc starts now.