The Las Vegas Raiders are undefeated, but a complete buy-in to what they're doing is yet to come.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-0, and most of the NFL world is shocked. This was a team that couldn’t get out of its own way last year, but they’re playing solid football and winning games.
ESPN writers Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano considered the obvious question of whether the Raiders are for real, and Fowler’s answer was “yes…to a point.” The points he made are worth considering, along with a couple of quick quotes he included from NFL evaluators, one of whom noted that there's no reason to consider the Raiders a fluke right now.
The positives are impressive so far. As the writers noted, quarterback Kirk Cousins is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes with nine, and tight end Brock Bowers had a big game against New Orleans last Sunday. Receiver Tre Tucker is emerging as a deep threat, and the running back combination of rushing combo of Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. has had some moments.
More importantly, the offensive line has looked solid so far, and the Raiders are playing like a well-coached team. They’re about to hit the tough part of their schedule, though, which will tell us a lot about whether this team is a mirage.
Expect the Chiefs to try and take tight end Brock Bowers out of the game on Sunday, so that’s the challenge coach Klint Kubiak will be facing. He’ll be trying to respond with a shortage of top-tier weapons, but the Raiders are playing in Vegas with house money this week, and as long as the team can submit a competitive performance the accolades will continue.
A larger problem will be protecting Cousins. Defensive coordinator Steve Spaguolo made his reputation with his blitz packages, and he’s going to send some rushers at the Raiders in ways they haven’t seen before. Kubiak will be ready, but will his defenders?
On defense, the Raiders will be challenged by a new version of the Chiefs offense that features the combination of running back Kenneth Walker III and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. There are also two variations here, the run game version the Chiefs used to blow out the Denver Broncos, and the pass-happy outfit that was able to do enough to win a trap game against the Miami Dolphins.
Expect Kubiak to try to take the air out of the ball if the Chiefs come out throwing, and he may do the opposite if Kansas City goes ground-and-pound with Walker in a promising game that will hopefully be fun to watch.
