Las Vegas Raiders: Win over Pittsburgh could be a tone-setter for 2021 season

Las Vegas Raiders: Win over Pittsburgh could be a tone-setter for 2021 season

The Road Ahead

In case you haven’t heard, Baltimore found a way to upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. That places Las Vegas in first place, tied with the Denver Broncos for the division lead. And with the schedule ahead, Las Vegas has the perfect opportunity to capitalize on their momentum and lead the division before playing Denver and Kansas City in October and November.

The next opponent that Las Vegas faces is the Miami Dolphins, who lost Tua Tagovailoa to a rib injury and were crushed by the Buffalo Bills in a 35-0 game. Miami also has to travel across the country to play in Allegiant Stadium, where there is no doubt that Raider Nation will be making noise.

Also, Las Vegas’ schedule after their game against Miami really doesn’t seem too difficult. In those games, they play the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants. All of those teams are very beatable, especially the two from the NFC East.

The only serious threats are Los Angeles and Denver, which Las Vegas seems to be better than. So, if Las Vegas plays their cards right, there is a real chance they can have six or more wins under their belt by the time they meet Kansas City in early November.

If Las Vegas does have a great first half of the season, it will be because they set the tone early. It started with an overtime win against Lamar Jackson and Baltimore, then a massive win over Pittsburgh and their vaunted defense. Both of those teams were playoff teams last year and are seen as playoff teams in 2021.

And when you’re able to consistently beat playoff teams, there is a really good chance you can make the playoffs.