Oakland Raiders: A few keys to week one victory over the LA Rams

Avoid the Slow Start / Play With Intensity

One of the biggest, most frustrating things we saw out of this Raiders team last season, was that they notoriously got off to a slow start. How many times did we see the Raiders start sluggishly, go three-and-out on their first few drives, and wind up falling behind 7-0, 10-0, or more?

The answer to that is, far too often.

Las Vegas Raiders

Given that neither team’s starters played all that much in the preseason, there is likely going to be a little rust and dust on them as they take the field for their first live game action. It’s going to take a minute for the teams to get up to speed, and get comfortable in that groove.

The Raiders can’t afford to take that minute, though. Not against this Rams team.

Raiders wideout Amari Cooper may well have been right when he said they might need to score on every possession to beat a team that ranked first in scoring in the NFL last season, dropping a tick under 30 points a game on their opponents.

To avoid getting blown out, the Raiders will likely need to score early and score often. They have a better chance at putting up points this year with an offensive-minded coach who knows how to call plays in Gruden, and Greg Olson. Between them they should know how to unlock and unleash Carr and an offense that can be dynamic.

But, they need to play with a fire in their gut. They need to play with intensity and passion from the opening snap to the final gun. They cannot afford to take plays off and have to go at it like their hair is on fire from the word go.