Welcome to the Week 16, Oh My God Christmas is just a week away edition of 'Speaking with the Enemy,' a weekly feature here at Toro Times where I'll be sleuthing for some intel on each week's Houston Texans opponent.
This week, ahead of what looks to be a one-sided showdown with the 2-win Las Vegas Raiders, I spoke with Levi Dombro of Just Blog Baby to fill us in on what we should be expecting from the Raiders in this Sunday's matchup.
Sonny Giuliano: Alright Levi, I want to start here: At this juncture of the season, do Raiders fans even want Las Vegas to win this game, or is the focus already on the 2026 Draft? And staying on that topic, is it for sure going to be a quarterback, and if so, do you have anyone in particular that you'd like to see the Raiders select?
Levi Dombro: I don't want to speak for all of Raider Nation, but based on our comment sections, 99% of them have wanted to lose out since early November. Fans have seen in the past that winning these ultimately meaningless games only takes us out of the running for potential game-changers in the draft.
It's not for sure going to be a quarterback, as that'll depend on exactly where we land on the board. There is certainly an argument to trade back and get a mountain of picks, as this roster needs reinforcements pretty much everywhere. But if it were me, I would take Indiana's Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, or Oregon's Dante Moore if we land at No. 2.
SG: The Pete Carroll era obviously didn't get off to the ideal start. He's 74 years old and clearly lost his fast ball. What are the chances that the Raiders have another new head coach at the start of the 2026 season?
LD: I think the chances are pretty high that the Raiders find some way to move on from Pete Carroll after the season. The fan base is more fed up with him than any previous coach, and that's because things have been worse under him than any coach in recent memory. We're likely to finish 2-15, 3-14 at best, and be 1-5 or 0-6 in the AFC West. He's previously stated that he's not looking to rebuild, and that's what is needed in Las Vegas, so the timelines don't mesh. He wasn't their first choice anyway.
SG: Give me the scoop on Ashton Jeanty's rookie season. On a scale of 1 to 10, how close has he come to living up to the hype?
LD: Jeanty's rookie season is hard to grade. While his production certainly hasn't been there, it is hard to blame him. The Raiders' offensive line is probably the worst in the league, his usage as a runner has been puzzling, and Las Vegas has trailed in so many games that they've been forced to abandon the run so often. In terms of living up to the hype, he's probably at a 2-3. In terms of how much the fan base still believes in him, however, that's around an 8-9, and closer to 9.
SG: In addition to Jeanty, Brock Bowers is clearly another young blue-chipper that the Raiders would be wise to build around. After those two, what players on this roster that are still on a rookie contract intrigue you the most?
LD: Outside of Bowers and Jeanty, there isn't much in the way of bona fide young talent. Michael Mayer and Tre Tucker are nice supporting pieces, and Jackson Powers-Johnson should be great if he can stay healthy. The jury is still out on much of this rookie class, but I like what I've seen from Jack Bech, Darien Porter and Caleb Rogers. Guys like Charles Grant, Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Pegues just need more reps for a full evaluation, but they've been solid.
SG: With somewhere in the neighborhood of $116 million, the Raiders will have the second-most cap space in the NFL heading into the 2026 offseason. What areas does Vegas need to address first?
LD: The Raiders need to use a good portion of their cap space on bolstering the trenches on both sides of the ball. The offensive line needs to be shored up first, and with players like Tyler Linderbaum and Braden Smith set to hit the open market, you'd think Las Vegas would write them a blank check. After that, EDGE, defensive tackle, linebacker, a top-flight wide receiver, safety, and some depth pieces at running back and corner. So, pretty much everything.
SG: If the Raiders come into NRG Stadium and upset the Texans, what do you think the reason why will be?
LD: If the Raiders come into NRG Stadium and upset the Texans, you might want to check that it's not a replay of a past game or a Madden simulation. Las Vegas is more likely to not cross the 50-yard line than they are to pull out a win against the league's best defense.
In all seriousness, it would take a massive amount of freak plays, turnovers or special teams scores for the Raiders to even compete with this Houston team. Las Vegas could always randomly find some bit of success, but their offense has been on life support all year, and this game may finally pull the plug. It's the league's best D vs. the league's worst O. An immovable object vs a very stoppable force.