Las Vegas Raiders cannot afford to look past the New York Giants
By Brad Weiss
While big games are ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders after their trip to play the New York Giants, the focus has to be on the G-Men only.
The Las Vegas Raiders went into their bye week on a high note, as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles at home for their second straight victory. Of course, it was their second straight win since the resignation of Jon Gruden, and since Chucky’s departure, the Silver and Black have been playing at a high level.
Now, they will turn their attention to the second half of their schedule, including a Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants. The Raiders head east to take on the G-Men inside MetLife Stadium, a game they cannot afford to look past with some daunting opponents on the horizon.
In fact, after the Giants game, the Raiders take on Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Dallas, three teams that should be in the playoff mix when all is said and done.
Over the past two seasons, Derek Carr and company have seemingly looked past lesser opponents, including last year, where it took a Carr Hail Mary to Henry Ruggs III to beat the lowly Jets. They were blown out by the Atlanta Falcons as well in 2020, a team that was one of the worst in football, so looking past the Giants is not an option.
New York may not be a special team, but they did just convincingly beat the Carolina Panthers and have the luxury of playing a west coast team at home.
Raiders have a chance to take the No. 1 spot in the AFC
With the Cincinnati Bengals losing to the New York Jets in Week 8, another prime example of not looking past anybody, the Raiders slid into No. 2 in the AFC playoff picture. Their 5-2 record is behind only Tennessee, as they hold tiebreakers against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, two teams with an identical record as the Raiders.
In Week 9, as the Raiders head to play the Giants, the Titans will head to Los Angeles to take on the Rams, who many feel is the best team in football. A win against New York, coupled with a Rams loss would mean the Raiders would hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC going into their Sunday Night Football matchup with Kansas City.
For now, the focus must remain on New York, as they have some weapons on both sides of the ball, and could end up being a harder out than expected. There are big games ahead, but none bigger than than the one inside MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a game that could vault the Silver and Black to the top of the AFC.