Oakland Raiders: A few keys to victory over the Cleveland Browns
By Kevin Saito
The Oakland Raiders take on the Cleveland Browns in a week four, must-win game – let’s take a look at a few keys to victory.
Well, here we are, Oakland Raiders fans. Week four, squaring off with the Cleveland Browns, in what has become an absolutely critical must-win game for this Raiders team. While climbing out of an 0-3 hole would be tough, climbing out of an 0-4 hole would be even worse, and dare we say – next to impossible.
Yeah, it’s a matter of degree of terrible, but 1-3 – especially with some winnable games on the horizon – seems a lot more manageable than 0-4.
How the Raiders have gotten to 0-3 is a painful journey to recount. They’ve played like they can hang with anybody in the league – through the game’s first 30 minutes. In all three games to date, they’ve carried leads into the second half. In two of those games, they held leads into the waning moments.
More from Las Vegas Raiders News
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- Raiders: Bryan Edwards out, Henry Ruggs doubtful for Sunday
- Raiders: Damon Arnette re-injures thumb, could be headed to IR
- Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
- Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 at New England Patriots
And in all three games, they’ve somehow managed to find a way to lose.
It’s been a bitter, bitter pill for everybody from the players, to the coaching staff, to the Raider Nation, to the peanut vendors to swallow. Poor decisions, poor execution, poor adjustments, poor coaching, and poor planning, has played a role in each and every one of Oakland’s losses to date.
Yes, there were weather-related issues in the last two games – a record hot day in Denver, followed by a day in the heat and humidity of Miami last week. It caused some problems and helped wear guys out. But, it was a problem for both teams – Denver and Miami both handled it, making plays when they needed to make plays the most.
And the Raiders simply didn’t.
There are some signs of hope for this club, both offensively and defensively. Though, the numbers don’t quite make a compelling case for this team to take a big leap forward, they’ve shown flashes of how good they can be on both sides of the ball.
Unfortunately, they need to make those flashes, a more permanent part of the offense, and defense.
But, they’ll be taking on a much improved, much more talented Browns team that’s no easy out. Not anymore. Cleveland went out and loaded up on talent this offseason, assembling a roster that, on paper is pretty frightening – and one that is far better than their 1-1-1 record might otherwise indicate.
If the Raiders are going to snag their first win of the year, they’re going to have to play a well balanced game on both sides of the ball – and play for a full 60 minutes.
It’s going to be a hard fought game, and the Raiders are going to have to come ready to play. And they’ll need more consistent performances on both sides of the ball, if they hope to pull one out.
Let’s take a look at just a few of the keys to a victory over Cleveland this Sunday…