Oakland Raiders: A few keys to week one victory over the LA Rams
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders are set to open the 2018 campaign with a tough game against the LA Rams – let’s look at a few keys to a week one win.
As they ready for their season opening game with the Los Angeles Rams, the Oakland Raiders must be feeling a bit like David squaring off with Goliath. And who can blame them?
On paper, the Rams present matchup problems – well – pretty much everywhere. This team is so stacked and loaded with the best hired mercenaries – errrr – talent they acquired this offseason through fair and equitable means, they’re an incredibly formidable team. At every position.
On paper, this should be a cakewalk for the Rams, right? With the of talent they’ve collected (hoarded) this offseason, the Rams appear to be not just the cream of the NFC, but of the NFL as a whole. Many are already inscribing their names on the Lombardi Trophy.
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Well, all we can say is, it’s a good thing the games aren’t played on paper, because life comes at you fast, and the reality of what happens between the lines often differs from what people expected.
To illustrate that point, let’s climb into the Way Back Machine and take a trip to the not too distant pass. Does anybody recall when the Philadelphia Eagles spent an offseason collecting talent like the Rams did this offseason? Does anybody recall Philly’s “Dream Team?”
And if you do recall, do you also recall how that worked out for them?
This is not to say the same thing will happen to the Rams. It might. It might not. It’s simply illustrating the fact that loading up a team with a bunch of star-caliber talent isn’t an instant guarantee of success. It would certainly seem to increase the odds, but it’s far from a slam dunk.
And let’s not pretend some of the guys the Rams brought in aren’t headcases who have flipped out when adversity struck, and shot their team in the foot with some ridiculous behavior – yeah, we’re looking at you, Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, and Ndamukong Suh.
Nobody outside that Raiders locker room is giving them a chance against LA. And it wouldn’t be all that surprising to find that even some inside that locker room might be questioning whether or not they do.
Though it’s not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, these Raiders could shock the world and upset the Rams tonight. That’s not to say they will, but if they put their heads down, play a flawless game, and don’t give an inch, they very well could.
Let’s look at a few keys that could lead to a shocking and improbable upset in Oakland’s season opener…