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.

Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“Very quickly, I did not know if Adam was going to come back when he went into the tent. That was the first game I have played a game with six defensive linemen, let alone against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was tough, but we managed,” Leonard said.

“I got together with [Thomas] Booker, and went over everybody’s role, how we were going to adjust. Everybody played a lot more snaps, I thought Jonah [Laulu] was in there battling, thankful to have him. Getting experience and getting those reps, going against one of the best teams in the league, you are going to learn to learn fast. You only learn by playing,” Leonard said.

Las Vegas Raiders DL Coach Rob Leonard from Training Camp — Las Vegas Raiders DL Coach Rob Leonard | Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

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