Why The Raiders’ Bye Week Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time

The Las Vegas Raiders faced a dire situation last Sunday when they took on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Raiders Injuries

Injuries have been the name of the game for the Raiders since safety Lonnie Johnson injured his leg in a meaningless practice in the preseason. Las Vegas has continued to sustain more injuries seemingly by the week.

Following Las Vegas' loss to the Chiefs, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted that although he played, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was not fully healthy heading into the game.

“Maxx [Crosby] was hurt before that. He was not at his best. And in true heroic fashion, he tried to go out there and play and wanted to give it up for his teammates. He tried, and we needed to get him out,” Carroll said. 

“And so, I admire the hell out of the fact how he approached that, and he did the best he could. But that one was like, okay, we got to get him out here because he didn’t look like he could protect himself."

During the Bye Week, Raiders Defensive Line Coach Rob Leonard explained the daunting task of facing the Chiefs after losing his top two defensive linemen in the same game. Las Vegas' defensive line is one of the strengths of the team when healthy. That was far from the case on Sunday.

The Raiders' strength quickly turned into a weakness after both Crosby and Butler were both taken out of the lineup. Las Vegas' lineup was a shell of itself against the Chiefs, leading to a lopsided loss for the Silver and Black. The Raiders' defense will not have a productive season without those two.