Keep dominating the turnover battle and other keys to a Raiders win
The Oakland Raiders are 5-2 and are staring 6-2 right in the eyes. No, beating the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay won’t be easy, but it’s certainly doable. The Bucs have had a rather up and down season with two of their three wins coming against solid opponents in Atlanta and Carolina. But when they’ve been off, they’ve been really off, two blowout losses to the Cardinals and the Broncos along with a close loss to the Rams and a blowout win over the 49ers.
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It’s clear that on any given Sunday, a legitimately competitive Bucs team could show up, or not. But either way, the Raiders need to be ready. Here are a few keys to locking down that sixth win and remaining undefeated on the road:
1 – Stop the run
Even with Doug Martin injured, the Tampa Bay run game remains a force to be reckoned with. They are averaging 115 yards per game and Martin’s backup, Jacquiz Rodgers tallied 255 yards on the ground over the last two games. Given how poor the Raiders run defense is this season, I would expect Tampa Bay to try running the ball down their throats from the get go. If Oakland can stop them, it will throw their entire game plan off and give the Raiders an early advantage.
2 – Win the turnover battle
The defense remains a work in progress, but it also remains one of the best units at forcing turnovers. It’s those turnovers that have been a major reason why the Raiders are 5-2 despite having one of the league’s worst defenses. If the Raiders want to keep winning, especially on the road, then they need to keep being one of the best teams at forcing turnovers. Until the defense gets better, turnovers will be the primary route to success defensively.
3 – Get a Rhythm on Offense
It doesn’t matter whether the offense focuses on the run game or the passing game as long as they get a rhythm going. Last week, the offense wasn’t able to do anything in the second half. The play calling seemed sporadic and they just couldn’t sustain many drives. This week, they’re playing a team who can make them pay if the offense gets in a funk again. So no matter how they do it, the offense just needs to find a way to avoid that kind of complete shut down.
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