Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) leaves the field after the Raiders were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Raiders Bye Week Comes at the Right Time

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Nov 7, 2024 11:01 AM ET

After five straight losses and not seeing the win column improve since Sept. 29, the Las Vegas Raiders can take a step back and regroup before playing the Miami Dolphins in the following week.

In recent games, the schedule has not been kind to the Raiders squad, as they went up against teams with winning records in the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kansas City Chiefs. They also were the kickstart to the Los Angeles Ram's win streak -- having lost to them 20-15 on Oct 20.

With the bye week being this week for the Raiders, they can catch their breath; they face a team who has also been struggling in the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have a 2-6 record and have not recorded a win since Oct. 6 against the Patriots. This may be what the Raiders need to get back into the win column.

Looking at what the Raiders have to follow after the Dolphins (rematches against the Broncos and Chiefs), this makes the matchup with Miami a must-win to get momentum back on their side. A team that is desperately looking for a positive outcome to gain confidence back as a team.

Antonio Pierce's approach to this bye week is for his players who are on the injury list to get healthy and the guys who are healthy to remain healthy. The Raiders coaching staff will also use this bye week to find some coach chemistry following recent firings and hirings

This bye week will also help out their starting quarterback, Gardner Minshew II. Minshew has not been able to stay on the field in crucial games, having been benched twice recently.

This gives the quarterback and his team the time to formulate and execute plays while learning to mesh well with their new offensive coordinator and coach.

"I think the bye week is always a great opportunity for sub scout kind of on the larger scale, you know. Kind of a wider scope," Minshew said when asked about what the team can learn from the bye week. "Being able to look at the things we're doing well, not doing well with nine games played should have some pretty consistent things be able to pull yourself out of those."

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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