The Las Vegas Raiders shocked a lot of people last Sunday when they handled the New England Patriots on the road. Geno Smith played very well and was one of the top quarterbacks of Week 1, throwing for the second-most passing yards behind only Josh Allen.
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is a brilliant offensive mind and could be the OC that allows this Raiders offense to turn the page. They will be taking on a tough Chargers defense on Monday night. Kelly believes that the offense can do whatever they please, led by Geno Smith.
“We can call whatever we want, and I think he's going to find a way to execute, and make the right decision.”
Smith's top pass catcher, Brock Bowers, is banged up and did not practice on Thursday. The Raiders will have almost no shot at winning or being successful without Bowers on the field. The Bolts just played very well against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 and kept them out of the endzone for the majority of the contest. Patrick Mahomes ended up putting the team on his back and playing well, but the offense as a whole struggled against this Jesse Minter defense. This Week 2 battle won't be easy for the Raiders.
The Raiders will need Bowers healthy and ready to go in order to execute an entire playbook. The play calling will be limited without him. Receiver Jakobi Meyers caught eight passes for 97 yards. He will be a big factor this weekend. Geno must continue to find his top receiver time and time again to keep the game close. Meyers is their top receiver and one of the best in the NFL.
Could this be the game that Ashton Jeanty breaks out? He only had 38 yards on 19 carries last week. It is expected that he will get 20+ carries, and this could be where we see him take his game to another level.
