Oakland Raiders: Ranking 2018 games from least to most difficult
By Kevin Saito
Week 10: San Diego Chargers (4)
And… we’re back.
The biggest advantage the Raiders have in this game is that they’ll be in front of the home crowd. In a tough, divisional matchup, which could come at a pivotal point in the season, that could wind up playing a factor in the outcome.
Las Vegas Raiders
Oakland’s revamped secondary, led by Rashaan Melvin, Gareon Conley – and whoever wins the job for the slot corner position – are going to need to find a way to shut down a very solid receiving one-two-three punch in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Travis Benjamin.
It will help that Hunter Henry will be missing the season, as he was turning into an Antonio Gates clone, but the secondary is going to have their hands full nonetheless.
At the same time, the defensive front is going to need to find a way to contain Melvin Gordon, who overcame ball security issues early on, and has become a very productive back for the Chargers.
Over the past two seasons, Gordon has rushed for 2,102 yards and 18 touchdowns, helping take some of the pressure off the rest of the offense.
Oakland’s going to have their hands full and need to be firing on all cylinders in what could potentially be a critical game for them.
Week 17: @Kansas City Chiefs (3)
The Chiefs have been Derek Carr’s personal devil, and Arrowhead Stadium has been his personal hell.
Against the Chiefs in his career (eight total starts), Carr has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,843 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s got a career QB rating of 72.2, and has compiled a 2-6 record.
His numbers against the Chiefs are far worse than his numbers against any other team in the league.
For the final game of the season, the schedule makers apparently thought it would be funny to stick Carr and the Raiders in Arrowhead. With the possibility that this could be a division title clinching game, Oakland is going to have to deal not just with the hostile crowd, but the elements, as well.
It’s going to be a tough game to get, but if Carr and the Raiders hope to claim supremacy in the AFC West at some point, they’re going to have to learn how to win games, even in conditions like those.