Las Vegas Raiders' chances of bouncing back in Week 4 against the Commanders just a whole lot bigger

Raiders have better shot at winning in Week 4, with or without Daniels playing

Last week, if you had shown me this game, I would have probably chalked it up as a close loss for the Raiders. After seeing the Raiders play on Monday, I'd say a healthy Commanders team beats the Raiders, maybe easily. But now, even with or without Daniels, things will be easier for the Raiders than they probably initially thought.

Without Daniels, you're now playing a team that doesn't have a quarterback who may be considered a top-ten guy in the league at his position, maybe even top-five. You don't have to worry about a guy who can make pretty much every throw on the field, oh, and he can run really well, too. You also don't have to worry about the Commanders running certain QB run plays or read option plays on certain downs and distances. It's much easier to gameplan against someone else.

And even if the Raiders do still have to play against him, he's obviously not going to be 100%. It's a knee sprain, which means it will likely hurt to run. If you can make Daniels a one-dimensional quarterback, and the Raiders can put pressure on the quarterback, he will make bad decisions. He's obviously not going to be at full health, and the Raiders are definitely going to have a bit of an advantage regardless of what happens.

Daniels will likely end up playing. After starting 1-1 in 2025, they will need every advantage that they can get. The next four games are pretty easy, too, all things considered. They can still lose this game, and the three after that, despite them being against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans, but they should win more than a few of these games coming up.

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