The Las Vegas Raiders will start an early crucial stretch in their season, which may define whether they’re able to recover from a slow start or head for a top-three pick in the 2024 draft.
In the next two games, they’ll host the Green Bay Packers (2-2) and New England Patriots (1-3) and then go on the road for a matchup with the winless Chicago Bears (0-4).
Raiders owner Mark Davis had a rough week with fans yelling at him because of their displeasure with head coach Josh McDaniels.
We’re about a quarter of the way into the season, and the Raiders already desperately need a victory. But what happens if they go 1-2 in the next three games or lose all three?
Let’s break down the headlines for each of the next three matchups and why it’s important for the Raiders to show progress in the upcoming stretch.
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Week 5: Home doesn’t feel like home anymore
The Raiders haven’t won a home game since Week 15 of the 2022 season, a game in which Chandler Jones mushed Patriots quarterback Mac Jones into the ground on his way to a game-winning touchdown after he recovered a fumble on a poorly executed lateral.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Raiders haven’t shown much progression and seem to have regressed offensively over the past few weeks.
According to Jason Cole, formerly of Outkick, owner Mark Davis doesn’t like that Allegiant Stadium has become friendly confines for opposing teams.
“Mark is embarrassed,” a former Las Vegas Raiders executive said. “He was pissed last year when the Chiefs and Bears brought so many fans to town. Now it’s happening every week. He wants it to stop.”
With tensions boiling over as fans grow increasingly frustrated with the team’s direction under McDaniels, Davis should expect to see fewer Raiders fans and more of the opponent’s fanbase at his newish stadium.
In terms of business, Davis did a good job in finding a new home for the Raiders. But in order to attract more locals and grow the fanbase at an exponential rate, he has to empower executives and coaches who will put a winning product on the field. Instead, the Silver and Black has taken several steps backward under the current regime.
Going back to the previous season, the Raiders have lost six of their last seven games with their only win against the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Davis will always have a full house on game day because Las Vegas is a bustling destination city, and casual fans will have Allegiant Stadium on their bucket lists.
But if he wants to regain a semblance of home-field advantage, McDaniels and Co. must snap a three-game home losing streak with an inconsistent Green Bay Packers squad in town on Monday Night Football. If not, Davis should get used to fans voicing their displeasure to him in person.
On Monday, the current regime can restore a kernel of faith within the fanbase with a much-needed victory.
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Week 6: The teacher and the student part 2
As noted, McDaniels got the best of Bill Belichick last season. Former Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers made an egregious mistake on a lateral pass to Mac Jones, and Chandler Jones capitalized on it.
Right now, Belichick and McDaniels lead bottom-eight scoring teams for different reasons.
The Patriots’ offense lacks explosive playmakers, which exposes Jones’ physical limitations from the pocket. Without a big arm and average-to-below-average mobility, he’s struggled this season. Jones has trended in the wrong direction since McDaniels left for the Raiders’ head-coaching job.
With that said, the Raiders can’t serve as the “get-right” game for Jones and New England’s offense. Aside from Justin Herbert, opposing quarterbacks (Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and Kenny Pickett) have all recorded a passer rating of 108 or better against Vegas’ defense.
If Jones comes into Allegiant Stadium and carves up Patrick Graham’s defense, we will have to question whether we’ll see any consistent progress on that side of the ball.
General manager Dave Ziegler’s rookie class must contribute to speed up the rebooting process on defense, particularly edge-rusher Tyree Wilson, defensive tackle Byron Young and cornerback Jakorian Bennett.
While most of the Week 6 headlines will focus on the Belichick-McDaniels storyline, this is another game in which the Raiders’ defense can gain some confidence against an offense that’s scoring the third-fewest points per game.
Week 7: Las Vegas Raiders looking to potentially avoid disaster
If Vegas drops the next two games at home, its Week 7 matchup with the Bears could be the beginning of the end for coaches and certain players in terms of their future with the Silver and Black.
Remember, the NFL trade deadline is one day after the Raiders’ Week 8 Monday Night Football matchup with the Detroit Lions. So, if they’re a one-or two-win team by the final week of October, Ziegler may begin to trade off assets for 2024 NFL Draft capital as he turns his attention toward the future.
We may even wonder if McDaniels and Ziegler have a future with the team if Vegas has a 1-6 or 2-5 record after the Bears’ game, which is a fair question.
Last year, the Raiders started off 2-5 and routinely blew double-digit leads (five of them) on their way to 6-11. If McDaniels’ squad goes into Chicago with a similar record and loses to a Bears club with a head coach who might be on the hot seat, we may be in for a full organizational teardown.
Obviously, the Raiders want to avoid a situation in which they become sellers before the trade deadline, but the Bears game could be the tipping point for leaders in the locker room.
Davis doesn’t seem keen on going through another hiring cycle two years after he brought in McDaniels and Ziegler, but just as winning cures all, losing exposes whatever isn’t working out.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.