Raiders: 3 Keys to victory against the Bengals in the Wild Card round
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round on Saturday, and here are some keys to victory for the Silver and Black.
Incredibly, the Las Vegas Raiders won their final four games of the regular season, capping it off with an exciting overtime victory against division rival Los Angeles inside Allegiant Stadium. With the win, the Raiders locked in the No. 5 overall seed, and a trip to Ohio, where they will take on the Cincinnati Bengals inside Paul Brown Stadium.
For the Raiders, this run has been almost improbable, as they were sitting at 6-7 after the blowout loss to Kansas City, and it looked like they would be spending another year home watching the playoffs. However, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia rallied his team, and with a three-game win streak, they went into the game against the Chargers in a ‘win-and-in’ scenario.
Well, it took overtime, but the Raiders got the victory, and for the first time in his NFL career, Derek Carr will be the starting quarterback for the Silver and Black in a playoff game. Carr has been a true leader for this franchise on and off the field this season, and there is no doubt that a huge extension is likely in the cards for him this offseason.
Here, we look at three keys to victory for Carr and his Raiders on Saturday afternoon against the Bengals.