Oakland Raiders to improve against Baltimore Ravens

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Sep 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Aldon Smith (99) embraces Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) after the game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bottom Line

The Raiders lost Carr, Woodson and Allen in the game and losing Carr alone made the score about right last week. So there’s no reason to think the sky is falling in Raider Nation or that they have no shot against the Ravens. As we know, Jackson is an offensive coordinator that will find your weakness and relentlessly attack it.

So if you think about it, the whipping that just got put on the Raiders is the best thing to happen to them. It lets Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. know they absolutely can’t win with Ray-Ray Armstrong at outside linebacker. He was the majority of the defense’s problem against the Ravens on Sunday and an easily correctable one.

Having Mack opposite Smith at strong-side outside linebacker will make the pass rush more formidable and bring the run defense up to par. Carr is going to settle down and figure it all out so when he misses the first one on Sunday, relax. And hopefully, the Raiders aren’t in such a situation but maybe we don’t go for it on our side of the 50 on 3rd-and-1 so early in the game.

That way, the Raiders can give Murray, their breakout candidate, a chance to actually break out. The Raiders pass rush will be more of a factor because Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco likes to go deep. I also like Cooper against the secondary the Ravens have to get open and make some plays.

Sunday will be much more entertaining for Raiders fans. It is hard to predict a win, but at the very least the Silver and Black will put forth a better effort this weekend than they did in their home opener.

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