Las Vegas Raiders next two opponents stumbled out of the gate in 2023 Week 1

The Las Vegas Raiders pulled off a strong victory against division rival Denver on Sunday, as Jimmy Garoppolo led the team on two late drives to seal the victory. The win was the seventh in a row for the Silver and Black against Denver, and got them off to a strong start after faltering during a six-win season in 2022.

In Week 2, the Raiders will once again hit the road, this time heading to Upstate New York to take on the Buffalo Bills. Led by Josh Allen, the Bills were a preseason favorite to possibly make it to the Super Bowl this season, but they looked terrible in an overtime loss to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football to cap off Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.

However, the Bills are a solid team, possessing quality players on both sides of the ball. They will be playing on a short week after the MNF tilt in Metlife Stadium, but the Raiders are coming from across the county, and will have to deal with a 10AM PT kick time this weekend.

Raiders next two opponents struggle to kick off 2023 season

In Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season, the Raiders will play their first home game, as they welcome Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers to Allegiant Stadium. The Steelers were one of the worst teams in the NFL this past weekend, as they looked lifeless in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and there is already some turmoil between head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

So what looked like a terrible gauntlet to start the season has brightened a bit for the Raiders, and at least a 2-1 start is looking like a real possibility. Buffalo and Pittsburgh were both projected to go to the playoffs this season, and should bounce back after their losses in Week 1, but the Raiders could also be better than expected as well.

In a nutshell, Raider Nation should have more confidence going into the Week 2 and 3 matchups than they had prior to Week 1.