The Las Vegas Raiders enter 2025 with more national intrigue than they've had in years. Pete Carroll is back on an NFL sideline, Chip Kelly is installing tempo and Geno Smith gets a second act to run it.
First-team All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers is coming off a record rookie year with 112 receptions and 1,194 yards, and No. 6 pick Ashton Jeanty adds burst to a backfield that needed it. After a 4-13 reset, this is a live experiment in whether ideas and speed can close the AFC West gap.
Context matters. Las Vegas finished 2024 last in the division, scoring 18.2 points per game and allowing 25.5. Mark Davis overhauled the top of the organization, hiring John Spytek as GM and Carroll as head coach. Kelly's arrival signals pace and spacing, and Smith brings an accurate, veteran trigger. Free agency targeted stability and experience with the likes of guard Alex Cappa, running back Raheem Mostert, safety Jeremy Chinn and linebacker Elandon Roberts, plus the recent return of wideout Amari Cooper.
The Athletic's Austin Mock projects the Raiders' win total at 7.6, a profile that reads like "credible wild-card push" if the offense lifts its scoring baseline, the defense turns things around and the team manages a tough final stretch of its 2025 schedule.
Following NFL games requires more effort than ever, though. Alongside the traditional mix of CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC/ESPN and NFL Network, fans now have to track exclusive games on Prime Video, Netflix, Peacock and YouTube, with flex scheduling capable of shifting start times as early as Week 5.
The first thing we'll need to watch all 17 of the Raiders' regular-season games is a television package. Here are the most popular options, contingent on local availability, with pricing as of August 2025:
Average monthly cost: $85-100. Depending on the carrier, this will cover everything except for out-of-market games, "Thursday Night Football" on Prime and the Christmas slate on Netflix.
Our dueling homes for the busiest part of the weekly schedule. A majority of games will fall into the Sunday afternoon bulk, starting at either 1 or 4-4:30 p.m. Typically (though not always), the East Coast teams play at 1, while hosts farther west take that 4-4:30 spot. As such, many of the Raiders' kickoffs begin in the later window.
For the most part, CBS has the AFC home games and Fox has the NFC ones. That's not absolute, though (blame something called the "cross flex," which allows the networks to claim certain games in the name of broadcast parity). In general, these over-the-air channels show games pertinent to the region.
Both networks have several broadcast teams to spread around the league on Sundays. Here's a refresher on those lineups:
CBS -- "Hello Friends" Team
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo / Tracy Wolfson sideline
Ian Eagle and JJ Watt / Evan Washburn
Kevin Harlan and Trent Green / Melanie Collins
Andrew Catalon, Charles Davis and Jason McCourty / AJ Ross
Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta / Aditi Kinkhabwala
Fox -- "Dancing Robots" Team
Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady/ Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi sideline
Joe Davis and Greg Olsen / Pam Oliver
Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez / Kristina Pink
Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma / Megan Olivi
Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston / Allison Williams
Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth / Jen Hale
What you'll need to watch: One of the aforementioned cable or streaming packages, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access. Local CBS games can also be streamed on Paramount+ (starting at $7.99/month). Local Fox games can also be streamed on Fox One (starting at $19.99/month).
From Compton to Canberra, all of you Raiders fans will need NFL Sunday Ticket to unlock those Sunday games. For an extra fee, you can get NFL RedZone, the frenetic live whip-around anchored by Scott Hanson. That man is peerless in his love for American football.
What you'll need to watch: YouTube is the current digital home provider of NFL Sunday Ticket (DirecTV carries it for businesses). New Sunday Ticket users can subscribe for $276/year, which comes out to $23/month. Returning users with YouTube TV are charged $378, or $31.50/month, and those without YouTube TV pay $480 ($40/month). Those are the prices without RedZone, too.
Additionally, the league's NFL+ Premium app has standalone RedZone access for 12 installments of $14.99. Full out-of-market games can't be streamed live here, though, making it a better option for fantasy players rather than dedicated team loyalists.
Got it? Cool. Now, there's more. The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN recently sold 10 percent of its equity to the NFL in exchange for league media assets (NFL Network, cable RedZone rights and fantasy football games). So, as of Sept. 3, the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer (DTC) service is offering a bundle with NFL+ Premium for $39.99/month. Watching football has never been so exhausting.
Average monthly cost: $23-40
Sundays always end with "Sunday Night Football," featuring Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth. Tirico is the successor to longtime SNF voice Al Michaels. Collinsworth, well ... "here's a guy" who gets really excited about nickel corners and pass-blocking running backs. Melissa Stark is NBC's Sunday night sideline reporter.
As we get into the later weeks, NBC will flex into matchups with greater playoff implications. The same goes for ABC/ESPN (Mondays) and Prime Video (Thursdays). Network flexing is a contentious issue, though. Putting a more compelling game on national TV rewards viewers at home, but sudden schedule changes obviously hurt traveling fans. For SNF in Weeks 5-13, a flex must be announced at least 12 days before the game. That window halves to a six-day warning in Weeks 14-17.
Here's where you'll find end-of-week pageantry with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the inescapable theme music. Industry vet Lisa Salters dispatches from the sideline, along with Laura Rutledge. When there are multiple Monday night listings, Chris Fowler does play-by-play on the doubleheader's other game, with former safety Louis Riddick and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky on color commentary. Katie George and Peter Schrager cover the sidelines with that group. The MNF crew for ESPN Deportes includes play-by-play woman Rebeca Landa and analyst Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, with sideline reports from MJ Acosta-Ruiz and the incomparable John Sutcliffe.
There will usually be a simulcast on ESPN2 anchored by Peyton and Eli Manning. Will Ferrell once went on the "ManningCast" to detail his love for Carroll.
What you'll need to watch: A TV package, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access to ABC. ABC and ESPN are also available with the new ESPN DTC service ($29.99 per month).
This marks year No. 4 of TNF on Amazon. Al Michaels does play-by-play, and he's joined by Kirk Herbstreit ("College GameDay" staple and Golden Retriever enthusiast). Kaylee Hartung handles the sideline reporting. Thursday games are on the Prime Video app for national audiences, and broadcasts are free over the air in the two teams' home markets. Alternatively, TNF can be streamed on Twitch or with an NFL+ subscription (mobile only, however).
Last year's ill-fated first TNF flex did not lead to new safeguards; rather, the league reduced the notice window from 28 days down to 21. Again, those flexes favor folks at home who want exciting and relevant late-season viewing, but it brings chaos to ticket holders and the participating teams themselves.
What you'll need to watch: Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 per month, or NFL+ ($6.99/month). TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account.
Average monthly cost: $0-15
There are two unknowns on the Raiders' schedule, both at home: a Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants and the regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. The entirety of the Week 18 schedule will be announced after Week 17 is in the books. We at least know it won't be a Thursday or Monday game, though Week 18 does have some Saturday slots reserved for matchups with playoff gravity.
Thanks for hanging with us for all that. Here's Maxx Crosby going metaphysical on opposing offensive lines:
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