Las Vegas Raiders need to weather AFC West storm before bye week
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have two huge games ahead of them in Week 4 and 5, taking on divisional foes before entering their 2022 bye week.
It has been a nightmare start to the season for the Las Vegas Raiders, one that started with so much promise after a perfect preseason slate. During the preseason, the Silver and Black looked dominant and disciplined, something they have yet to prove now that the games matter.
As we inch towards Week 4, the Silver and Black have yet to win a game and have lost in some heartbreaking fashion. In Week 1, a Derek Carr interception ruined a possible comeback victory against division rival Los Angeles, and then the team did not show up after halftime against Arizona, blowing a 20-0 lead in an overtime loss.
Finally, there was Week 3, where the Raiders’ defense was atrocious in the first half, and the Tennessee Titans, playing without their starting left tackle, built a lead too big to overcome. Going into their final two games before the bye week, Las Vegas is desperately seeking some victories and will have to get them against AFC West opponents.
Raiders have a softer slate after the bye week
In Week 4, the Raiders will head back home to take on the Denver Broncos, an AFC West rival who has struggled this season as well. Despite playing terribly on offense, Denver is currently sitting at 2-1, thanks to victories over the likes of Houston and San Francisco.
That has been a much easier start to the season than Las Vegas has had, and after the Denver matchup, a primetime showdown on the road inside Arrowhead Stadium. There is a legitimate chance that this team could start out 0-5 this season, including 0-3 in the division, which would be too large of a hill to overcome.
However, the Raiders are more talented than Denver, and Kansas City looked dreadful against Indianapolis, so there is a chance they go 2-0 before the bye week as well. After the bye week, the schedule gets much softer, with matchups against Houston, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Jacksonville on the horizon, but before it gets easier, they have to take care of business against some familiar foes in the coming weeks.