The Blunt Truth About Raiders' AFC West Pursuit

Veteran quarterback Geno Smith was throwing the ball all around in the team's victory this past Sunday. The chemistry with his offense is there, and it is only going to get better as the season goes on. That was good to see for the Raiders.

For the Raiders' defense in Week 1, they looked better than most people expected. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was able to make adjustments throughout the game, and that helped the defense play better in the second half. That is what makes Graham great: his ability to make his defense better as the game goes on. If this Raiders defense continues to play as a unit, it will be a good defense for the rest of the season.

Now, the Raiders will be at home for Week 2. They will also open up AFC West play against their long-time AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers. This is a game everyone is going to have their eyes on. If the Raiders pull this one out, a lot of people are going to be talking about the Silver and Black, along with head coach Pete Carroll. This is going to be a close game, and we are going to see if the Raiders can win back-to-back big games.

Raiders have a chance to win AFC West

"We talked about this about Geno Smith before, if you give Geno a little time, and give him a run game, Geno can sit in the pocket," said analyst Colin Cowherd on his podcast. "I thought Geno made four, five, six big-time throws. He is not my favorite quarterback, but I looked at the Raiders coaching. I looked at the energy of the staff. The Raiders are going to beat teams in their division."

"The Raiders have better players," said analyst John Middlekauff. "Maxx Crosby is the best player on the field. Brock Bowers second. Geno Smith. They just drafted a weapon top six, Ashton Jeanty . Jakobi Meyers had turned into a really good player. He is going to have enormous numbers this season. This year, he is playing with Chip Kelly and Brock Bowers."