The Oakland Raiders have been struggling for three consecutive weeks. As they get ready to face the division rival LA Chargers, how nervous should fans be?
The Oakland Raiders continued deeper into their slump in Week 5, dropping their third consecutive game to the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders loss to the Ravens also marked their first loss at home this season.
Now the Raiders now find themselves at 2-3 entering Week 6 after starting the season 2-0 with a point differential of +35. As Oakland readies themselves to face the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers, let’s take a look at what areas of the team fans should be nervous about and what fans should calm down about.
The Quarterback Position
Nervousness Index: 3
This may seem low as the Raiders have only thrown for 463 yards over the last three games, but Oakland’s struggles in the passing game seem to have more to do with bad matchups than bad play. In the last three games, the Raiders have played the Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, and Baltimore Ravens. Both the Broncos and Ravens are in the top 10 in the league in passing yards allowed per game, ranked tenth and eighth respectively. Washington is ranked 15th in that category.
Michael Crabtree, who missed part of the Washington game and all of the Denver game, also had a severe impact of the Raiders passing attack. Crabtree has been Oakland’s most productive receiver this season by a large margin. Crabtree has four touchdowns so far this season despite missing time, which is still double what any other skill position player has. The Raiders simply do not have enough offensive weapons to make up for Crabtree not being on the field.
The best news for Raider fans is that Derek Carr’s injury appears to be much less serious than originally reported. Carr was expected to miss 2-6 weeks after injuring his back against the Broncos in Week 4. However, Carr is healthy enough that he came close to playing in Week 5 and not missing a single week. Head coach Jack Del Rio made the decision to hold Carr out to avoid risking long-term injury, but I would be shocked if Carr isn’t under center in Week 6.
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