Oakland made major changes all over the roster this past offseason. Players like Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley and Maurice Jones-Drew were brought in to help turn around the fortunes of a franchise that's coming off of consecutive 4-12 seasons and hasn't had a winning season in over a decade.
Sunday will be their first chance to prove that the hope they've inspired is real—that the Raiders are finally headed in the right direction.
The biggest story heading into the game is Derek Carr's first career start. He earned the starting job with a great performance in the final preseason game. Will he be able to replicate that success in the regular season?
The Raiders might experience some hiccups offensively with a rookie quarterback under center, but the real test will be on the other side of the ball. The Oakland defense, especially the secondary, struggled throughout the preseason. They'll be tasked with stopping Geno Smith, who has the ability to scramble and has shown improvement as an NFL passer.
Smith had a breakout game in a win against the Raiders last season, finding success both with his arm and with his legs, and he's gotten better since. The Raiders defense needs to come out ready to meet the challenge.
This is one of the most exciting season openers for the Raiders in years. The Jets might be slight favorites, but make no mistake, the Raiders have a very real chance of earning a win today. The potential is there. Now the team just has to go out and make it a reality.
Stay tuned here for live updates on scores, injuries and more throughout the game.
Read more Oakland Raiders news on BleacherReport.com
...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
