Raiders at Titans: Why Las Vegas comes away with win No. 1
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have a tough task ahead of them on Sunday against Tennessee, but here is why they come away with win No. 1.
Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season is here, and the Las Vegas Raiders are still desperately trying to find win No. 1. They have losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals so far in 2022, and their opponent in Week 3, the Tennessee Titans, should be hungry to win their first game of the season at home.
Tennessee and Las Vegas are widely considered playoff contenders, but this is not the start anybody could have expected for either of them. The Titans were blown out by the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, so they go into this one on a short week and have a few key players out.
Raiders at Titans: Why Las Vegas comes away with win No. 1
No Taylor Lewan
One of the key matchups for the Raiders this weekend will come on the edge, as Taylor Lewan will not play for the Tennessee Titans. Lewan is the starting left tackle for the Titans, and the Raiders have a dominant pass rush tandem in Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby, so they should have their way in this one.
Lewan is one of the better left tackles in football, and not having him will hinder a Titans offense that has already been terrible this season. If Dennis Daley struggles, Crosby or Jones could be in for a monster day.
No answer for Davante Adams
On Monday night, the Bills took advantage of a bad Tennessee Titans secondary, with the combination of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs going off for multiple touchdowns. On Sunday, Derek Carr and Davante Adams need to repeat this process, as there is nobody on this Titans defense that can cover Adams one-on-one.
Adams was brought here to be the difference on an offense that was solid last season but missing that legitimate WR1. If he goes off in Week 3, that likely signals that the Raiders went to Music City and got the job done.
Tennessee may just be bad this season
Through two weeks, one thing just may be the case, and that could be the Tennessee Titans are just downright bad. They lost to the New York Giants at home in Week 1, and then were pasted by the Bills on Monday night, showing very little fight on either side of the ball.
Week 3 could be a case of the Raiders beating a lesser team.
You never want to say your season is over after three games, especially in a 17-week season, but how long is too long to wait for your first win. Las Vegas has all the talent to be a legitimate contender in the AFC, but they need to get their stuff together before it is too late.