Oakland Raiders offense could finally be at full strength in Week 8

For a variety of reasons, the Oakland Raiders have not trotted out their starting offense all season long, but that could change in Week 8 against the Houston Texans.

To start the 2019 NFL season, the Oakland Raiders had some key pieces out, as both starting guards missed the Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos, as well as the Week 2 battle against the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week 3, the team got one starting guard, Richie Incognito back, but they were still without their other starter, Gabe Jackson.

In Week 7, the team finally got Jackson back, as he had missed the entire season due to a knee injury suffered in training camp. However, they were without starting right tackle Trent Brown, as they once again did not have their starting five offensive linemen on the field at the same time.

All of that could change on Sunday, as Brown was an active participant in practice, and should be ready to go against a tough Houston Texans defense. For quarterback Derek Carr, that means the maximum protection, and through the first six games of the season, he has not been touched on numerous occasions.

Having Brown back gives the Raiders arguably the best offensive line in football, and at the skill positions, they also could be back at full strength. Tyrell Williams, who is listed as the team’s WR1, has not played since the team’s Week 4 win against the Indianapolis Colts, but during his first four games, he had scored a touchdown in each matchup.

With Williams back hopefully on Sunday, as he has been progressing that way, expect the Raiders to take a few more shots downfield against a very beatable Texans secondary. Carr has been making it work with his limited options at wide receiver in recent weeks, but Williams gives this offense another dimension in the passing game.

One thing to keep an eye on is the health of running back Josh Jacobs, who is coming off a career-high 124-yard effort against the Green Bay Packers last weekend. Jacobs has become one of the more dominant running backs in all of football, and he recently stated that his shoulder would have to be broken in order for him to miss the Texans game this Sunday.