The Las Vegas Raiders start their challenging six-game stretch on Sunday when they travel to face the Los Angeles Chargers. Following the Chargers, the Raiders will play New Orleans, Kansas City, New England, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams. Coach Klint Kubiak said the upcoming schedule will test the team in a competitive environment. The Raiders enter Week 2 at 1-0 after beating Miami 27-13, while the Chargers are 0-1 after losing 26-14 to Arizona.
Four of the six teams on the Raiders’ upcoming schedule lost their first games of the season, according to foxsports.com. Kansas City beat Denver 31-10 on Monday night, leaving the Chiefs and Raiders as the two 1-0 teams in the AFC West. Sportsbooks set the Raiders’ consensus win total at six and a half games this season, Yahoo Sports reported.
Kubiak showed new offensive ideas in the game against Miami, something that had been missing in recent seasons. The Raiders’ defense may also be better than expected, according to early signs. The game against Miami also brought up some issues for the team. Cousins threw three touchdown passes for 160 yards, while Ashton Jeanty finished with 147 yards from scrimmage. The Raiders’ defense recorded five sacks and held Miami running back De’Von Achane to 36 yards on 11 carries.
Kubiak said the team lost steam as the game went on. He added that the team had a good start but needed to finish strong. The Raiders cannot afford to have weak quarters in this tough stretch. The offense had only three yards and two first downs in the fourth quarter.
Still, the franchise has a history of surprising people with unexpected wins. The Raiders’ offensive line, which allowed a league-high 65 sacks last season, has shown improvement after adding Tyler Linderbaum and Spencer Burford. So far, the line has protected quarterback Cousins well. Linderbaum joined Las Vegas after earning three consecutive Pro Bowl selections with Baltimore.
Cousins was not sacked and did not face much pressure during the game. Running backs Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. also made key contributions. The two combined for 143 rushing yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Cousins did throw two interceptions that looked unusual for a veteran quarterback.
The special teams unit, which struggled last season, seems to be improving. That may have been a one-time issue rather than a continuing problem. Kubiak was not happy with how the team ended the game. Dylan Laube had kickoff returns of 45 and 50 yards, while Malik Benson returned a punt 23 yards.
The fourth quarter did not go well for the Raiders. The team’s red-zone touchdown rate was 75% in the game. Las Vegas went 3 for 4 in the red zone, and one drive that did not end in a touchdown still led to a field goal. Tight end Brock Bowers and cornerback Darien Porter were listed as day to day after the opener with knee and foot injuries.
The Raiders are now set to play the Chargers in their next game. The AFC West matchup is scheduled for Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
IMAGE: Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders. Photo: Erik Drost / Wikimedia, taken 2015-09-27, CC BY 2.0
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