The Las Vegas Raiders will be taking on a Cleveland Browns team in the middle of a COVID-19 outbreak, and they must be able to take advantage of that.
On Saturday afternoon, the Las Vegas Raiders will take on the Cleveland Browns in a must-win game for both franchises. The Raiders have struggled mightily since the bye week, losing all but one game, though this matchup could swing in their favor as we continue to inch towards kickoff.
For the Cleveland Browns, this has been a nightmare of a week, and it is only Tuesday, as they are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak within their organization. On Saturday, they will be without key players, including wide receiver Jarvis Landry and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., tight end Austin Hooper, and former Raider, Takkarist McKinley to name a few.
Those are some serious names for the Browns, and we will wait and see whether or not it will affect if the game is played or not. On Tuesday, Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweeted out that canceling or rescheduling the game has not been suggested, so it looks like it will be business as usual this weekend.
This is a perfect time for the Raiders to turn around their season, as opportunities like this do not come around too often. Cleveland actually has looked better as of late, but these are the kind of players that will be the difference between a win or loss for them, and the Raiders must take advantage of that.
Raiders playing in harsh temperatures Saturday
One thing that is not on the Raiders side will be the weather in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon, as it will be close to freezing with some precipitation. Quarterback Derek Carr has long struggled in these kinds of elements, and even with so many Browns players out due to COVID-19, you have to like their chances in this one.
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For Las Vegas to get back into the playoff picture, they have to not only win on Saturday but then sit back and watch the nightcap, hoping the New England Patriots can knock off Indianapolis. That would send all three teams to a 7-7 record on the season, with the Raiders holding the tie-breaker over Cleveland, and a chance to beat Indianapolis down the road.