With three straight AFC West games on the horizon, the Las Vegas Raiders need to first take care of the Cleveland Browns in Week 8.
The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off a bad loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they were completely in the game in the fourth quarter before the wheels fell off. Their next game is against the Cleveland Browns, coming off a big divisional win against Cincinnati, as Baker Mayfield tossed five touchdowns.
We have already covered the fact that the Browns present their own host of issues, and a win against them could have major ramifications down the road in terms of the AFC playoffs. After the Browns game, the Raiders will enter a part of their schedule that could go a long way in them bringing home a division title.
3 straight AFC West games on the horizon
Starting in Week 9, the Raiders will begin a three-game stretch against the AFC West, as they play all three teams once. They already have a huge victory on the road in the division against the Kansas City Chiefs, who they will play again in the third game of this three-game run.
The first of the three AFC West battles will occur on the road, as they head to LaLa Land to take on Justin Herbert and the Chargers. After playing in Los Angeles, which would be a home game if fans were allowed in the building, they have two straight home games against Denver, and the aforementioned Chiefs.
Kansas City currently sits atop the AFC West with a 6-1 record, but the only blemish they have came at the hands of the Raiders, though that seems like years ago after their tough outing against Tampa Bay. In that game, Derek Carr was masterful, and Paul Guenther dialed up a good game plan on defense, two things that have to happen if the team will make the playoffs this season.
One thing the Raiders cannot do is look past the Browns, who have enough talent on both sides of the ball to beat the Silver and Black this Sunday. That would send the Raiders to their AFC West run with a losing record, so it is imperative that they focus in on the task at hand this Sunday, before they head to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.