Raiders next challenge: Show they can take a hit and hit back
The Raiders have spent a month showing everyone how much has changed.Now comes a different kind of test.How much stays the same after a loss?The confidence.The aggressiveness.
The belief that they can dictate how a game unfolds rather than spend three hours reacting to someone else.All of it travels to New England on Sunday, when the Raiders get their first opportunity to show that a disappointing afternoon against the Chiefs won’t spill into the following week.At 3-1, they have earned the right to feel encouraged about their direction.But encouragement does not move the chains, fix a struggling running game or erase the mistakes that helped turn a winnable game against Kansas City into a 30-27 loss.Their response has to accomplish that.And the Patriots have already provided an example of what that can look like.New England got back on track by beating Buffalo, returning home at 2-2 with renewed confidence and an opportunity to build momentum.
The Raiders will face a team that just reminded itself what it is capable of accomplishing. That makes this an important moment for coach Klint Kubiak, whose aggressive approach helped the Raiders win their first three games and put them in position to beat the Chiefs.The challenge is to sharpen the execution without dulling the edge.There were opportunities against Kansas City that better blocking, cleaner decisions and stronger ball security could have turned into a different outcome.The Raiders cannot allow the frustration of missing them to make them hesitant about pursuing the next ones.They can, however, make those situations easier on themselves.That starts with a running game averaging 3.1 yards per carry.
Against the Chiefs, the Raiders managed 43 yards on 20 attempts, leaving too much of the offensive burden on quarterback Kirk Cousins and the passing game.Ashton Jeanty needs more room to operate.Cousins needs manageable down-and-distance situations.
And Kubiak needs the freedom to call plays without repeatedl...