Oakland Raiders: Ranking 2018 games from least to most difficult
By Kevin Saito
Week 15: @Cincinnati Bengals (14)
After five consecutive nine-plus win campaigns between 2011-2015, the Bengals have tapered off considerably, finishing 6-9-1 in 2016, and 7-9 last season.
Live Feed
Dawg Pound Daily
This is a team that’s struggling and scuffling, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
They added some good pieces this offseason, bringing in tackle Cordy Glenn and adding center Billy Price in the Draft, to help shore up a line that’s been abysmal the last couple of seasons, which should help. Better protection for quarterback Andy Dalton is key.
But, the team lacks offensive playmakers. With A.J. Green, really, the only go-to option in the passing game aside from tight end Tyler Eifert – who has a lengthy injury history – Cincinnati’s passing attack may not be exceptionally strong this year.
Their running game features Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard, which may be the strength of this offense. But, without a strong passing component, this team will struggle to move the ball and score points.
Defensively speaking, you can pencil in Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins to wreak havoc as they usually do. Preston Brown was a solid add to the linebackers group, but the secondary is largely nondescript and untested. Which could make for a long season for this Bengals squad.
Week 3: @Miami Dolphins (13)
Despite losing Jarvis Landry, the Dolphins still have a couple of playmakers in Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, and Patriots castoff Danny Amendola. While maybe not the marquee trio in the league, they have the potential to be solid.
They also have a fairly decent quarterback in Ryan Tannehill – so long as he can stay healthy.
To help shoulder some of the load and take some pressure off Tannehill, the Dolphins tried to beef up their line by adding Daniel Kilgore, and longtime Packer Josh Sitton, who also played the last two seasons in Chicago.
It’s not clear yet, if the new additions will solidify the line enough to keep Tannehill upright and healthy.
Defensively, they’ll be getting Raekwon McMillan back, after losing him his entire rookie season to injury.
He’ll join a defense that features newcomers Robert Quinn, and Akeem Spence, in trying to ignite a defense that so far, through this preseason, has struggled without huge presence Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the line.