The loss to the Titans last week was not completely unexpected. The way the Raiders lost, however, in my mind was. The team looked unprepared, scared and totally out of sorts. They did not compete.
One could chalk up last weeks poor effort to a number of things. The Raiders are a young team with many new players. They were on the road against a tough opponent. It was hot and humid. The excuses are endless.
There will be no excuses this week.
The Rams are quite simply a bad football team. I watched their game against the Cardinals last week. It was not pretty. As bad as the Raiders looked last week, the Rams and for that matter the Cardinals looked even worse. It was a game where both teams were so bad it was a shame someone had to win!
If the Rams can travel to Oakland and win there is absolutely no hope for the rest of the season. One could even argue that if that happens heads must roll. This game is that important!
So here we are Raider Nation. This is our season. If the Raiders win and more importantly win impressively the excuses for the week 1 failure are somewhat validated. If they lose the rest of the season will be meaningless. An 8th straight season with eleven or more losses might as well be in the bag.
This division is there for the taking. San Diego is coming back to the field. Josh McDaniels has insured that Denver will not be competitive for the time being. While the Chiefs are an improved team they have even more holes than the Raiders and will be wildly inconsistent due to their youth. An impressive win on Sunday keeps the Raiders in the discussion. A loss will be the kiss of death.
I do not want to give up on this season yet. I've had such high hopes for t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
