There is no shortage of storylines heading into the Las Vegas Raiders’ week eight matchup against their division rival, the Kanas City Chiefs. Following their loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders quickly signed quarterback Desmond Ridder to their roster and wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. to the practice squad. The former third and second-round picks look to fill the gaps left by the injured Aidan O’Connell and Davante Adams. Here are the rest of the Raiders storylines in week eight.
Raiders Week 8 Pregame Storylines
The Quarterback Situation
Heading into the 2024 season one of the biggest question marks for the Raiders team was at the quarterback position. Their best options were an unproven second-year quarterback and a mostly proven veteran. Aidan O’Connell had a strong performance after the Josh McDaniels regime was discarded mid-season and Gardner Minshew led the Colts to a winning record. Fast forward to week eight of 2024, backup turned starter O’Connell is out four to six weeks and the former starter Minshew is playing the worst football of his career. Minshew had four turnovers last week including three interceptions against the Rams and it looks like his confidence is wavering. In response, the Raiders signed former Atlanta Falcons starter Desmond Ridder.
Ridder has a legitimate shot and playing on Sunday versus the Chiefs due to Minshew’s poor performance in recent weeks. If Minshew and the offense aren’t cooking against the Chiefs, then Ridder may replace him at some point. Ridder is quite similar to O’Connell in his statistics and record but differs in a few ways. He is a threat with his feet running the ball and has a stronger arm than O’Connell, though he hasn’t proven to be a better passer. At the end of the day, Ridder was a low-risk high-reward acquisition that may end up supplanting Minshew who is not playing well at the moment.
Offensive Turnovers
The most consistent things about the Raider offense are its inconsistency and turnovers. Both of these can’t exist on a winning offense at the same time and their 2-5 record proves that. They currently lead the NFL in offensive turnovers with 16 and have the worst turnover differential at -13. Gardner Minshew had no touchdowns, four turnovers, and a whopping 21.0 quarterback rating in week 7. Anything can happen in divisional games, so the Raiders still have a shot to improve against one of the NFL’s best teams.
Turnovers have been talked about all season, but are somehow happening more lately. Head Coach Antonio Pierce stressed again this week that getting the turnovers under control is the first step to being able to win football games, especially this week. The Chiefs’ defense is one of the best in the NFL and has been pivotal to their undefeated record. They can’t make mistakes against a defense that picked off Brock Purdy three times a week ago. Not turning the ball over would be a start, but the offense is ranked 26th overall and only averaging roughly 18 points a game. Luke Getsy and Pierce are going to have to focus on and rally around the offense this week if they have any hope of beating the Chiefs this season.
Rookie Offensive Linemen
Rookies Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar ‘DJ’ Glaze have officially earned their starting spots on this Raider offensive line that is still improving. Glaze has been playing against some of the league’s best edge rushers like TJ Watt and Myles Garrett while holding his own. Glaze hasn’t been perfect, but what he’s shown so far is the potential to play at a high level and remain the starter over Thayer Munford.
Fellow rookie Powers-Johnson will have his biggest test of the season this week playing against potential hall-of-famer Chris Jones. Powers-Johnson has been playing well with the occasional rookie mistake. He was strong in the run game against the Rams and showed his athleticism on some pulling plays by blowing up some defenders. Still, Powers-Johnson may be the target of Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Jones because of his inexperience. Not only that, but the Raider offensive line as a whole has given up 20 sacks through week 7. However difficult it may be, Powers-Johnson should be up to the challenge and it’s likely the game will only make him better.
Tank Talk
One of the more sensational storylines coming out of the Raiders’ abysmal start to the season is the thought of tanking for college football’s best quarterback available. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is already on the radar for Owner Mark Davis and part owner Tom Brady who has experience training Sanders. The other option is Miami’s Cam Ward who is leading Miami to an undefeated record currently and is in talks for the Heisman. Both options are great, but the locker room still hasn’t given up on the season. When a team wants to tank, they begin to trade away their assets not including stars who gave up on the team. This week trades were suggested about players like Jakobi Meyers, Harrison Bryant, and Kolton Miller to name a few. Until that happens, the Raiders will go out on their shield. Maxx Crosby‘s possible trade was even shut down a third time by new part-time owner Richard Seymour which says a lot. Speculation around trading Crosby is mostly just fans around the league fantasizing about bringing ‘Mad’ Maxx to their squad.
Nearing their upcoming bye week at 2-5, the Raiders can only realistically lose two more games at most if they want a chance at making the playoffs. It’s not impossible based on the talent in the building, but it is unlikely Las Vegas will see a winning record this year if they don’t turn it around this week. An amazing way to get on the right track would be getting a win over their division rivals and reigning Super Bowl champions the Chiefs in week 8. A win streak has to start somewhere.
Main Image: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
