Instant Reactions to Raiders crushing loss vs. Rams

Season outlook

We all know that this Raiders team is not going anywhere.

It's a difficult spot to be in as a franchise and as fans because you cannot actively try to lose or blatantly cheer against your team. But there are simple ways to still get value out of this season.

One of those ways is to prioritize playing and feeding the younger, less experienced players on the team. Guys like Bowers, Tre Tucker, and DJ Turner should get a lot of love on offense, and even players like Dylan Laube should get another chance to show their stuff.

Young guys on the offensive line like Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze should be left in to play through their rookie mistakes so they can be better off for the future.

The defensive side of the ball played well this week, but with such a laundry list of injuries, it is the perfect time to mix in young players.

Decamerion Richardson should get some playing time anyway because of how lackluster Jack Jones' effort and production have been. Trey Taylor is another guy that should get some run in the safety rotation.

Young defensive linemen like Tyree Wilson, Charles Snowden, Matthew Butler and Nesta Jade Silvera should get snaps whenever they can as well to grow as players and show the Raiders what they have heading into next season.

It's clear that the draft picks of the previous regime are starting to fall by the wayside, evidenced by the replacement of both Zamir White and Thayer Munford in the starting lineup this week.

The past is the past, and the Raiders need to focus on the future.

Part of this is also protecting players from themselves and not letting them play through injuries.

Established players who project to be around next year like Maxx Crosby, Jakobi Meyers, and Dylan Parham should all be resting when injuries pop up instead of toughing it out and risking further injury in what is already a lost season.

I'm not saying to hope for losses, but fans should not be too upset when they inevitably occur. Expectations should be incredibly low, but perhaps we should have none at all.

The ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl, and the Raiders are not built to do that this year. Sometimes, as a franchise, you have to take a step backward before you can move forward.

That is where the Raiders are right now, whether you like it or not. And that is okay. They just have to recognize it and take the proper steps moving forward to find value in the rubble of this season.