Oakland Raiders v Buffalo Bills: Five Things That Must Happen To Win

Play With Urgency

Something we saw against the Chiefs is something we saw relatively little of from the Raiders during their four-game losing streak – a sense of urgency.

Against Kansas City, the Raiders played like a team on a mission. A team with their hair on fire. And a team that knew its season was hanging in the balance. Oakland played Kansas City tough. They played with passion, and they played with a sense of urgency that was easy to be seen and felt.

It was good to see that fire, passion, and urgency from this squad. They needed it.

And they’re going to need it again this week against Buffalo. Actually, the fact of the matter is that they’re going to need it every single week from here on out.

The first half of the season was the “easy” part of the schedule for the Raiders. And they squandered it by playing poorly and without the urgency they needed. And because of their flat, uninspired, poor play, they lost a couple of games that they perhaps, should have won.

And now, week in and week out, they’re going to be playing for their playoff lives. If they can beat the Bills and pull even at 4-4, they then get the treat that is the second half of their season – which is the hard part of their schedule.

With games against the Patriots, Cowboys, Eagles – and their own division games looming – Oakland is facing a Murderer’s Row and will need to fight each and every week if they want a ticket to the postseason dance.

But, if they can play like they did against Kansas City – with a sense of urgency, passion, and like their hair is on fire – they might be able to conjure up enough magic to win some ballgames. Snagging a division title still is not completely out of the question.

It will all start with their effort and urgency though. The Raiders put themselves in a nasty hole they have to dig out of and will now have to approach each and every game as if it were a playoff game – which, it essentially is.

If they come out flat or complacent again, their season could very well end early. However, if they can play with the sort of zeal they had against Kansas City, good things can most definitely happen.