It's been a tough stretch of games for the Raiders. After starting the season 3-0, they've dropped three straight to fall to 3-3. Now they host the LA Rams to Las Vegas with the hopes of ending the losing streak. To get an idea of what kind of team the Raiders will face at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, I spoke with Cameron DeSilva, lead writer at Rams Wire.
1. Wow, have the Rams ever been obliterated of late by injuries. Who is stepping up to replace all their injured stars? And how much of a drop-off is there?
Obliterated is an accurate description, especially after Puka Nacua joined the never-ending list of injuries on Thursday. Some of the absences are relatively new, like Davante Adams, Poona Ford and Kobie Turner, so we’ll see how the Rams replace them. But I’d expect guys like Konata Mumpfield and Jordan Whittington to help fill in for Adams at wide receiver, and Tyler Davis and Ty Hamilton should see more snaps on the D-line. In Myles Garrett’s place, Josaiah Stewart has become a starter at outside linebacker. I expect there to be a big drop-off from Adams to Mumpfield. The same goes for Ford to Hamilton. Davis is capable of being a starter, so the drop-off from Turner may not be as substantial.
2. Is their low-scoring loss to the Cardinals a one-off or a sign of things to come?
The offense has been weird this season. The Rams have put up points and moved the ball at will in certain games, and then in Sunday’s contest, they could do very little on that side of the ball. It’s not totally a sign of things to come because the Rams do still have playmakers such as Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and Nacua (assuming he’s healthy). Oh, and the reigning MVP is at the trigger of the offense.
3. What are the weak areas on each side of the ball for the Rams?
On offense, it’s been playcalling and penalties. That’s not overly specific, but Stafford leads the league in passing yards and Williams is averaging a healthy 4.9 yards per carry. McVay’s playcalling has cost the Rams at times, as have penalties. They’ve had too many false starts and holding penalties, especially when they’ve gotten into scoring range.
4. Give me one under-the-radar player on each side of the ball for the Rams.
On offense, it’s Corum. He’s an explosive back who brings more speed to the offense when he’s on the field. He may not run with the same physicality that Williams does, but he makes more defenders miss and can create big plays. On defense, Josh Wallace has been outstanding. He’s stepped up at cornerback when Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie have been banged up, earning himself a much bigger role than anticipated.
5. Who wins? Why? Score prediction.
The Raiders have impressed me this season, playing much better than I expected them to. But they’ve cooled off after that hot start, and they’re going to run into an angry Rams team this week. I think Los Angeles will put together a run-heavy game plan where it gets back on track offensively, and the defense will have the necessary answers to Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer and Tre Tucker.
Rams 23, Raiders 20.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Raiders Week 7 game with Rams Wire