The Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for a demanding six-game stretch that will serve as a significant evaluation of their rebuilding progress. This challenging period begins Sunday on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The team is coming off a 27-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins, but the upcoming schedule includes matchups against the Saints, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, and Rams. Three of these games—against the Chargers, Saints, and Patriots—will be away from home.
While some of these opponents experienced opening-week losses, many are considered strong contenders. The Chargers have won 11 games in each of the past two seasons, the Saints narrowly missed a tie in their opener, the Patriots were Super Bowl participants last season, and the Rams entered the current season as favorites to win their division. The Bills and Chiefs are also among the league's Super Bowl favorites.
Coach Klint Kubiak acknowledged the difficulty of the upcoming schedule, stating that such pressure is inherent to the NFL. However, he emphasized the team's focus on taking it one game at a time. "You learn about everybody in this pressure cooker that we work in, and that’s what makes the NFL so fun," Kubiak said.
Despite the daunting schedule, there are signs of optimism in Las Vegas. Sportsbooks project the Raiders to win approximately 6 1/2 games this season. In their Week 1 win, Kubiak demonstrated offensive creativity, with quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing three touchdown passes and running back Ashton Jeanty accumulating 147 yards from scrimmage. The defense also showed strength, sacking Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis five times and limiting De'Von Achane to 36 rushing yards.
However, the victory also highlighted areas for improvement. Cousins did not attempt deep passes, and the offense struggled in the fourth quarter, gaining only 3 yards. "Just overall, I thought (we) just lost our steam," Kubiak noted. "That being said, we put ourselves in good position in the first half, and we just got to play four quarters of football."
The Raiders' offensive line, statistically the worst in the NFL last season, showed improvement with the addition of center Tyler Linderbaum and guard Spencer Burford, along with the return of tackle Kolton Miller from injury. Cousins was not sacked and faced minimal pressure, while Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. combined for 143 rushing yards.
Special teams also appeared to perform better than last season, with strong kickoff returns from Dylan Laube and solid punting from AJ Cole. Kicker Matt Gay made both of his field goal attempts.
Injuries to tight end Brock Bowers (knee) and cornerback Darien Porter (foot) are being monitored, with both players listed as day to day.
The Raiders' red-zone efficiency was notably high in Week 1, with a 75% touchdown rate, a significant improvement from their 50% rate last season. The team will look to carry this momentum into their matchup against the Chargers.