The Las Vegas Raiders look to end their losing streak at two games with a win over the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday. Las Vegas is in the middle of a stretch of games against four of the league's best teams. The next two weeks will be pivotal.
The Raiders have one of the toughest schedules in the league, but they have no time and too many corrections to make to worry about their opponent. Las Vegas must look in the mirror if they hope to stop a bad two weeks from continuing.
Below are the storylines I am watching the most on Sunday.
How Will Raiders' Secondary Respond to Big Mistakes?
Defensive backs are taught to have a short memory. By the time they reach the professional level, most defensive backs have all but mastered the skill. Yet, few position groups go through the kinds of growing pains that defensive backs do. Las Vegas' young defensive backfield is in the thick of theirs.
I will be watching how well they respond and whether the defensive backfield can eliminate the big plays. If they can't, I will also be watching they handle it.
Can Raiders' OL Protect/Can Kirk Cousins Move and Deliver?
With No.1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza developing in the background, the Raiders' front office is undoubtedly keeping an eye on its offensive line. Too much has been invested in the rookie to put him behind a questionable offensive line. Tyler Linderbaum has been as advertised.
DJ Glaze has been the unit's most consistent player over the past three seasons. While Kolton Miller has played well overall, some plays make it fair to wonder about his future with the team. Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson have been serviceable.
Still, the Raiders' offense is limited overall, putting extra pressure on its offensive line. The unit did not allow a sack with Cousins throwing the ball over 50 times in Week 5. They allowed several sacks and even more pressures in Week 6, making it nearly impossible for the unit to establish a rhythm.
One of the top storylines I will be watching most on Sunday is not just how well the Raiders' offensive line plays, but how well Cousins moves around the pocket. When he has done so, as he did during the fourth quarter in Week 5, the Raiders' offense moved well.
The same goes for Mendoza's brief performance. When the rookie moved around in the pocket, the passing lanes opened up significantly. Part of football, and any sport, is working with what you have. Las Vegas has deficiencies along its line.
A quarterback who moves the pocket, even a little, will help a ton. A quarterback who cannot move behind an offensive line that is outnumbered is not sustainable. Las Vegas must find a way to move the ball with extra offensive linemen and tight ends on the field.
Can Raiders' Defense Stop Run or Pass?
Las Vegas' defense is built to stop the run, but it faced several mobile quarterbacks who throw the ball well. This has shaped their approach to games, since their defensive backfield is a well-known vulnerability. Las Vegas has been unable to stop the pass, which has made it hard to stop the run.
During the past two weeks, once the Raiders' secondary allowed one too many big completions of size, importance, or both, Las Vegas adjusted, leaving running lanes open. Yet,the problem hasn't been only the secondary. The Raiders' normally stout run defense has been shaky.
Las Vegas' defense allowed the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints to have success on the ground, but only in the past two weeks has the unit allowed such big runs and holes for running backs to run through.
This Sunday against the Bills, I will be watching to see whether they can make Buffalo one-dimensional. Even if they cannot do so completely, they have to do a better job of eliminating one aspect of the opponent's offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots ran and passed the ball well against Las Vegas' defense. The unit has to stop one, or this Sunday's result will likely mirror the past two weeks. These past two weeks have only confirmed that this Raiders team is led by its defense.
Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard knows his unit has a lot to improve upon after five games. Leonard and the Raiders' coaching staff are gradually developing a team loaded with young, talented, but inexperienced players at several critical positions.
“You got to prioritize. Let's just fix this. Let's just fix this. We got to fix – anything else, can't just fix these 10 things. Focus on one thing at a time, and there's a lot. They did a good job, credit to the Patriots. But we've played good football this year, so we just got to focus on us,” Leonard said before practice on Thursday.
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