Raiders Will Have to Clear Pre-Bye Week Hurdles

There are some tough opponents the Raiders will have to go against before they're allowed a week of rest, such as the Washington Commanders, and familiar foes in the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Due to these games, it's uncertain whether or not the Raiders will have a winning record at this point in the season. The remainder of their opponents aren't on the same tier as the teams listed above, but they can still give the Raiders some trouble.

Their season opener against the New England Patriots is a toss-up, and so is their matchup against the Chicago Bears. The only games I have full confidence the Raiders can win are against the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans, but even then, those games can quickly get out of hand.

That's why it should be of the utmost importance for the Raiders to come out after a week of rest and win their next game, so they can build off or build up momentum heading into the next stretch of games for them.

In week nine, they'll be facing off against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, making this the second year in a row that they face off against the Jaguars in Allegiant Stadium. In 2024, the Raiders' dysfunctional offense was able to pull out a win against the Jaguars.

In 2025, both of these teams will look dramatically different than what they did last year. As it's easy in the season, I expect both teams to be relatively healthy, which means the quarterback duel should be between Geno Smith and Trevor Lawrence, as opposed to what it was in 2024, which was Aidan O'Connell and Mac Jones.

I think the biggest determining factor in who wins this game is which quarterback is able to utilize their weapons the best. Brock Bowers dominated the Jaguars' secondary last season, with a team-high 11 catches for 99 yards. It was clear that they couldn't contain him, and with an improved passing game with Smith under center, I only expect that dominance to grow.

On the other hand, Lawrence and the Jaguars also have the personnel to expose a weak Raiders secondary, and I don't think they have what it takes to guard Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter for an entire game without one of them breaking free.

Ultimately, this is another game where the Raiders will have to pull out all the stops in order to beat this team. This is another game on their schedule that I can see going either way, and it's in the hands of Smith to see how well he can fake out the Jaguars' defense.