In Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders are facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams are looking to bounce back from disappointing losses in week 8. Last week, the Raiders gave their division rivals and the defending Super Bowl champions a run for their money somehow staying in the game until the fourth quarter. The Bengals are coming off a not-so-close loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and want to get their disappointing start to the season back on track. Here’s what to look forward to in this week 9 matchup.
The Raiders Week 9 Game Preview
The Raiders Offense vs the Bengals Defense
Possibly the biggest disappointment of the Raiders season this year has been their offense. Head Coach Antonio Pierce is insisting that this failure is due to breakdowns at multiple levels not just coaching. Failed execution, missed assignments, and poor situational play-calling all come back on the coaches at the end of the day. Luke Getsy has had abysmal performances this season where losses correlate directly to a poor performance on offense. Last week’s loss against the Chiefs is a prime example. After an interception within the Chiefs’ five-yard line, the offense had three straight failed runs into the goal line resulting in a botched fourth-down turnover on downs. Not to mention, the Raiders gave up the sixth most sacks so far this season and need to pick it up against a strong defensive line that features pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The offense can’t seem to keep their defense off the field and control the game. The Raiders had a measly 33 rushing yards against the Chiefs after harping week after week on getting the run game started. The Bengals’ defense is a good place to start since they’ve given up the most rushing first downs of any team this season. Cincinnati also gave up 161 rushing yards en route to a 37-17 loss to Philadelphia.
Last week, star players Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers seemed to go missing after the first quarter and the poor performance on offense is likely tied to it. This week they need to make an effort to get the ball into the hands of their top offensive stars as well as players like Tre Tucker and Alexander Mattison instead of phasing them out of the gameplan throughout games.
Gardner Minshew played a lot better last week, but still gave up a fumble. At this point, it’s hard to put a lot of the blame on Minshew when the offense as a whole and its system aren’t working. Which all falls back on the offensive coordinator and their head coach. Antonio Pierce’s efforts in shifting the locker room’s culture may be all for naught if the offense and Getsy can’t do their part.
The Raider Defense vs the Bengal Offense
The Bengals’ offense is always a threat with matchup nightmares at receiver and a great quarterback in Joe Burrow throwing to them. His receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase each present unique problems or specialties. Raiders’ corners Jakorian Bennett, Jack Jones, and Nate Hobbs will surely have their hands full all game. The Raiders’ defensive line pass rush should help since it has started to find its groove in the absence of key player Christian Wilkins. Tyree Wilson had his first sack of the season with a perfect pass rush on a third down in the first quarter against the Chiefs. Wilson was operating out of the three-technique as well at points and is getting more comfortable with every snap he gets. So it’s encouraging to see a young defensive prospect take more steps forward under leadership from guys like Maxx Crosby, Patrick Graham, and Antonio Pierce.
Last week, the Raider defense was constantly putting their offense in positions to succeed including a turnover within the five-yard line. They even improved in their run defense last week by limiting the Chiefs to only 82 rushing yards total. It didn’t make much of a difference however because their offense couldn’t stay on the field or score when it mattered most. The Raiders’ defense has a tough test this week, but they can be relied on to rise to the occasion unlike their offensive counterparts so far.
Getting Offensive Weapons More Involved
One of the offense’s problems last week against the Chiefs was their trouble getting the ball to their best players on offense after the first quarter. Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers were quiet the majority of the game after strong starts to the game. Getting Bowers and Meyers more involved needs to be a concerted effort going forward. They have separated themselves from the rest of the team by reliably making plays or big catches. Meyers had an amazing one-on-one touchdown to seal off the Raiders’ first drive of the game. Bowers is having a record year for a tight-end so far and to see him not targeted or featured for a large portion of last week’s game was mind-boggling. The Raiders also need to get speedsters DJ Turner and Tre Tucker more involved. Involving these two will only get easier the more Bowers and Meyers are featured in the offense to draw away attention.
Powers-Johnson At Center
Raiders’ veteran starting center Andre James is going to be out in week 9 against the Bengals this week with an injury. Jackson Powers-Johnson who took snaps at center against the Chiefs for the injured James will be starting in his stead. Many thought Powers-Johnson may have been the best center coming out of college for 2024 and didn’t miss a beat last week after getting no snaps at center since mini-camp. In the small amount of film on his play at center, he looked significantly better than James and even looked better than he did at guard. James is having a down season after coming off his best season last year. He’s been getting blown up on run plays and very inconsistent in pass blocking. Powers-Johnson may see a position change if he and this offensive line do well after being one of the worst in the NFL on paper this season. They are 31st in yards and yards-per-carry while being dead last in rushing first downs. With starter Dylan Parham coming back, this abysmal season for the offensive line has a chance to get better still before it’s too late.
At 2-6, the Raiders still have a long shot at turning their season around after having a shot at winning most of their games so far. A win over the 3-5 Bengals who are having their own disappointing season won’t be easy. However, this game is very winnable for the silver and black, but then again so have all their other games this season save a few.
Main Image: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
