The Las Vegas Raiders travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns in a game that could have serious playoff implications down the line.
The Las Vegas Raiders were smacked in the mouth by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, as they lost 45-20 inside Allegiant Stadium. Brady had all day to throw, slicing up the Raiders in the second half, sending the Silver and Black to their most embarrassing loss this season.
As they look to turn the page in Week 8, they will have to hit the road, as they once again head East to take on a team looking to make the playoffs. The Cleveland Browns have gotten off to a 5-2 start this season, and are a contender in the AFC North, a division that could send three teams to the playoffs this year.
Two teams facing uphill division battles
Like the Raiders, the Browns are facing an uphill battle in their division, as Pittsburgh and Baltimore are clearly better teams than them. Pittsburgh is the last undefeated team left in the conference, and both teams have already beaten the Browns pretty soundly this season.
For Las Vegas, they have beaten the team currently in first place in the division in the Kansas City Chiefs, going on the road and finally winning in Arrowhead Stadium. Derek Carr played magnificently in that one, and against a Browns team that likes to put points on the board, the Raiders will need more of the same on Sunday.
The loss to Las Vegas is the only blemish on the Chiefs schedule, so the Raiders have some work to do if they want to get back in the mix in the AFC West. They will have an opportunity to do so very soon, as after the Cleveland game they play three straight games against AFC West opponents, starting with the Los Angeles Chargers
Hopefully, the storylines this week in practice will be the team getting healthier, and more players back on the field, and not the opposite as it was this past week. There are some key guys getting better, including Richie Incognito and Bryan Edwards, and getting them back would be a huge boost for a Raiders team looking to get back on track.