Keys to a win at Cincinnati
The 2-6 Las Vegas Raiders play at the 3-5 Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. PT.
Here are some keys to an upset win for the Raiders:
Raiders ned to contain Joe Burrow
The Raiders had to deal with Patrick Mahomes in a Week 8 loss and now they have to face another top quarterback in Burrow. He is a dangerous player who can slice up a defense. The Raiders have to be very careful or Burrow can take over.
Raiders coaches need to coach better
Let’s face it; the Raiders have been a major disappointment this season and head coach Antonio Pierce and his staff have been a major part of the problem. Pierce has made some strange game management decisions this season and they were on full display in Week 8. Pierce — and in particular offensive coordinator Luke Getsy — need to have bounce back games and stop contributing to a losing effort.
49 players have 50+ carries so far this season. Here are the bottom 2 in yards/carry:
48th. Alexander Mattison 3.19
49th. Zamir White 3.04#Raiders— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 28, 2024
Raiders need to run the ball against Bengals
The Raiders have struggled on the ground all season. They had an especially poor outing in Week 8 against the Chiefs with just 33 yards rushing. They must get Alexander Mattison and former starter Zamir White (who has just 12 yards on five carries in the past two games) going to take pressure off quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Account for Bengals DL Trey Hendrickson
The Bengals’ edge rusher is an underrated player. He is among the NFL leaders with seven sacks and 37 pressures. He can wreck a game in a hurry. Minshew was sacked five times against Kansas City and the Raiders offensive line is banged up, so Hendrickson can take this game over.
Stop Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati’s tight end
Last week, Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce ate up the Raiders with nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown catch. Now, the Bengals will try to get their tight end going against the Raiders. Gesicki is also coming off of a big game as he had seven receptions for 73 yards Sunday in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. So, expect Burrow to try to feed Gesicki on Sunday.