How Raiders' Offense Must Navigate Stiff Test vs. Colts

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has yet another set hurdles to overcome on Sunday when they face a talented Indianapolis Colts team.

The Raiders' Challenge

Before practice this week, the Raiders' Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly explained what makes the Colts' defense difficult to play against. The Colts' defense is one of the best the Raiders will have faced over the first five weeks of the season.

To make things even more difficult, the Raiders will face the Colts' defense in a hostile environment, and they must do so without their starting offensive tackle, Kolton Miller. Las Vegas had issues succssfully blocking with Miller, it is hard to imagine things getting better without him.

Kelly knows how daunting of a task is at hand on Sunday when the Raiders face the Colts on the road.

"I've got a lot of respect for Lou [Amarumo]. I've known Lou for a long time. He actually coached with Joe Philbin back when he was with the Dolphins. Bobby Bicknell, on our staff, was with him when he was with the Bengals, took a team to the Super Bowl," Kelly said.

"They're going to present multiple looks for you, they're going to make it hard on the quarterback and having to make decisions at the line of scrimmage – show you one thing and then play another thing. So, they're really, really well-coached."

Kelly noted that, like the Raiders, Indianapolis is still putting the pieces together under a new coordinator. However, they are on the other end of things, as the Colts are 3-1 and the Raiders are 1-3. Las Vegas will have an uphill battle on Sunday, but Kelly feels prepared for the matchup.

“It's his first year with them, so he's still implementing his system, but I think he's done a really nice job so far. Obviously, they've got a pretty good record right now, and they're doing a really good job on the defensive side of the ball. They do not give up big plays. I think they're the best in the league in terms of preventing explosive plays," Kelly said.

"So, they do a really good job from that standpoint, so I'm excited that we have a quarterback that's got a ton of experience in this league, because Lou is going to test him, and I think Geno's [Smith] experience is going to be a big thing for us."