Hill: Raiders’ special teams were a problem, but not the team’s only one

The Raiders made a significant change this week, firing special teams coordinator Tom McMahon one day after a disastrous performance against the Broncos on Thursday night.

It was a justifiable decision.

McMahon is a veteran coach who has had plenty of success over his career, as well as some setbacks.

His performance with the Raiders over the last few years has been bolstered by the presence of punter AJ Cole and kicker Daniel Carlson, two of the NFL’s best at their positions. It’s worth noting Carlson has failed to come through in a couple key spots this season, however.

His struggles have magnified the Raiders’ issues in coverage and protection. Special-breakdowns are a huge reason why the team is off to a 2-7 start in the Pete Carroll era.

Too many mistakes

Then, there was Thursday.

Penalties on returns that cost precious field position. A blocked punt that set up Denver’s go-ahead field goal. A missed field goal from Carlson that could have tied the game late in the fourth quarter.

McMahon’s group has now allowed four blocked punts since the start of the 2024 season, twice as many as any other team in the NFL. The Raiders also had a potential game-winning kick get blocked in Week 4 against the Bears.

Yikes.

It’s difficult to find fault with Carroll’s decision to move on from McMahon, who was hired by former coach Josh McDaniels in 2022 and retained by Antonio Pierce and Carroll.

“I have a great amount of respect for Tom and the work that he has done in this league, but we have decided to move in a different direction,” Carroll said in a statement Friday. “Derius Swinton II will assume special teams coordinator duties on an interim basis and we are excited to attack the second half of this season with outstanding intent and purpose. We are grateful for Tom and his work here with the Raiders and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

McMahon is being held accountable for the mistakes his group has made this season.

That’s reasonable. And predictable.

Writing on the wall

Carroll has not been shy about pointing out when special-teams issues have cost the Raiders points. The writing was on the wall.

But Carroll hasn’t made many direct attacks on an offense that’s averaging the third-fewest points per game in the league, outside of an occasional chirp at offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s play-calling.

Quarterback Geno Smith’s litany of mistakes have been either explained away or outright excused by Carroll for much of the year.

The offensive line has had problems all season. Some of that can be pinned on losing left tackle Kolton Miller to an ankle injury in Week 4, but the group wasn’t dominating before that.

Starting guards Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham got hurt against the Broncos, so the offensive line will probably get even more leeway now.

The group, coached by Carroll’s son Brennan, was always going to be a work in progress. And maybe Pete Carroll has a sense of how to handle Smith in public after coaching him for years with the Seahawks.

But it does feel like Carroll had been building toward making McMahon a scapegoat for some time. Again, the move was warranted. That’s not the point.

More to come?

More people need to be held accountable for the disaster that is the 2025 Raiders.

Carroll should probably lean away from the narrative that the season would be different with a couple Carlson made kicks, something he tossed out last week.

Sure, the Bears game would have been different if the Raiders’ protection on Carlson’s kick held up. But it’s a stretch to say his missed extra point was the sole reason the team lost to the Jaguars in Week 9. And Carlson could have tied Thursday’s game, but the offense could have given him a shorter kick, too.

The 48-yard try was Carlson’s shortest miss of the season. His other three misses, outside of the blocked kick, have been from 50-plus. Carlson has proven he’s better than he’s kicked this season. But the Raiders’ struggles go beyond a few misses.

Maybe if the pending free agent had received a contract extension, he’d have one less thing to think about.

Of course, that’s just an excuse.

Those are easy to make when you want to defend someone.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.