After a nightmare second quarter in a loss to the high-powered Chiefs, the Raiders must put that memory in their rearview mirror and press on.
And what better way to do that than to take a road trip?
The Raiders embark on a five-game, six-week stretch away from home, starting Sunday against the Vikings. Their next game at The Oakland Coliseum isn’t until November 3.
If the team wins, its record will sit at an impressive 2-1. But if they fall to Minnesota, the team will have a losing record for the first time this season.
Here are the players to watch as the Raiders attempt to get their trip off to a good start and rise up the NFL power rankings.
G Richie Incognito
The Raiders offensive line gets a boost this week with the return of left guard, Richie Incognito. He was suspended by the NFL for the first two weeks of the campaign for an off-the-field incident.
Incognito was out of the NFL in 2018, but he appeared ready to play football again when he spoke at training camp in Napa. More recently, he’s said he’s relieved to be back, according to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara.
“The suspension is behind me, all the negative stuff is behind me. Just eyes forward, staying positive, relishing the opportunity. What I think is big is really enjoying every day in here because you don’t know how many more you’re going to have,” he said.
He’s a former Pro Bowl player, and at 36 years of age, Incognito has plenty of experience and knows this might be his last shot at playing the sport he loves. He could possibly teach second-year offensive tackle Kolton Miller, whom Incognito will play beside, some tricks of the trade.
But more than anything, the offensive line, while performing well, needs more help. Offensive lineman Jordan Devy, who played in Incognito’s absence, was the lowest graded player on offense Sunday against the Chiefs, per Pro Football Reference.
DT P.J. Hall
For a stretch of Raiders training camp, it appeared defensive tackle P.J. Hall was in danger of missing the cut. But now, he’s a player on the rise.
He was a noticeable disruptor for Oakland’s defense against the Chiefs, with three tackles and 0.5 sacks. He was in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ face before Hall’s teammate, defensive end Benson Mayowa, cleaned up and forced a fumble, which the Raiders recovered.
Watch to see if Hall can build on that success. A second-round pick out of a small school just a year ago, his potential is still immense. The Raiders defense has five sacks already, after only 13 in 2018, and Hall will look to continue the team’s improvement in that category, starting in Minnesota.
QB Derek Carr
Quarterback Derek Carr was masterfull Week 1 against the Broncos, and for the first quarter against the Chiefs, he was just as impressive. But Carr’s last three quarters have left much to be desired, with the Raiders scoring zero points.
Carr threw two interceptions in the second half against Kansas City as his defense steadied itself and held Mahomes’ crew scoreless. The optics of each turnover were terrible, with the ball seemingly being thrown right to the opponent.
Oakland’s No. 1 wide receiver, Tyrell Williams, is on the injury list to start this week of practice, making matters more difficult for Carr. But Minnesota defensive back Mackensie Alexander is on the Vikings’ injured list, giving Carr a possible edge. Watch Sunday to see if he can look like the QB he was for the season’s first five quarters.
WR Ryan Grant
After the Raiders’ Antonio Brown experiment didn’t work out, each wide receiver took a step up the depth chart. That means WR Ryan Grant is the team’s No. 2 wideout. He must start playing like one in Minnesota.
Through two weeks, he has just four receptions for 14 yards. Grant’s responsibilities in Minnesota will increase, due to injuries to Williams, WR J.J. Nelson and wide receiver/return specialist, Dwayne Harris.
Not only is Alexander on the Vikings injury list, but Minnesota cornerback Mike Hughes is practicing this week for the first time since tearing his ACL last October. According to ESPN, Hughes says he feels, “pretty healthy,” and he may or may not suit up this week. This could be Grant’s chance to get loose and make an impact.
DB Lamarcus Joyner
Raiders defensive back Lamarcus Joyner is in need of a bounceback performance. The high-priced free agent was Oakland’s lowest-rated defensive player Week 2, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Raiders brought Joyner to Oakland to play nickel cornerback, but against the Chiefs, defensive coordinator Paul Gunther tried something new, with just a single high safety guarding the back end. It was such a change of pace, cornerback Daryl Worley played safety for part of the time.
The results were excellent after a quarter, but the team had communication breakdowns, resulting in numerous broken coverages. On multiple occasions, Joyner was the closest defender.
But Joyner is confident the pieces needed to turn the defense around are already in the locker room. They just have to get on the same page.
“I think outside of those miscommunications and technical errors — that’s an easy fix once we master and be perfect in practice … We’ve got to move forward and keep growing and building momentum,” he said, according to Kawahara.
Watch to see if Joyner and the rest of the defense can put its communication problems behind them and intercept Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who struggled last week.
This stretch of road games will be a mighty test for the Raiders. Five straight games on the road is usually a scenario in the NBA, not the NFL.
If Oakland can win just two of five games, however, they’ll return to the Bay Area with a 3-4 record and in a position to make a run. And the last thing the Raiders need is a bad road trip. As most know, those are terrible for morale. Winning in Minnesota would be a huge step toward having fun away from home.
