Oakland Raiders: Top 3 keys to victory in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings
By Kyle Foster
3. Get off to a fast start
So far in the first two weeks of the season, Oakland has started each game fast. That is something they’ll need to continue if they want to win their first road game of this season.
It also makes sense, given the fact that the crowd won’t be on their side come Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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This fast start can come by way of forcing a Minnesota three-and-out or marching down the field with a nice offensive drive that results in early points for the silver and black and consumes a lot of time on the clock.
A fast start would also consist of Derek Carr finding his form from Week 1 when he completed 22 of his 26 passing attempts. It could also loosen up the defense and give Josh Jacobs some running room.
All this should quiet the crowd down and allow the Raiders to play as they did in the season-opener against the Denver Broncos.
However, if the Raiders start the game off slow it could doom them. The Vikings have a good defense, which could stop the Oakland offense easily before Kirk Cousins, Kyle Rudolph, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and the offense gets some rhythm and starts rolling.
A fast start is going to be crucial to getting a win against the Vikings.