The Stakes for the Rest of the Raiders Season?
The Las Vegas Raiders' playoff hopes are all but over after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers, 30-27, in overtime last Thursday.
For many Raider fans, it likely brings up the question of what will be the relevant takeaways from these next two games, knowing that the Raiders won’t have much to play for.
Well, to start with, the career of Marcus Mariota could very well ride on how he performs in Derek Carr’s stead against the Miami Dolphins and possibly the Denver Broncos as well if Carr remains out.
Mariota came on against the Chargers after not playing for more than a year and gave the Raiders a real chance to win the game.
It’s the most you could have asked from your backup quarterback, and if Mariota is able to do well these next two weeks, he may have a chance to compete in the league again.
Carr is the solid starter when healthy, but having two exceptional quarterbacks on the roster is crucial.
Mariota's continued excellent play could also bring teams to the table for a trade, allowing the Silver and Black to accumulate highly valuable draft picks.
It would be a nice story for a player who seemed done when Ryan Tannehill replaced him as the starter in Tennessee.
For the rest of the Raiders roster though, this is the chance to show that they can be a part of the solution in Vegas going forward.
This is after all the second straight season that the Raiders have won six of their first 10 games and had nothing to show for a good start.
Head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock need to find out who on this Raiders team can fill those roles.
That’s especially true when you look at the defense. While players like Maxx Crosby and Nick Kwiatkoski have done their best to elevate the suffering unit, it hasn’t been near enough.
Considering the results this season, it’s fair to say there could be wholesale changes coming at all levels of the defense in the offseason.
That means that the clock is ticking fast for the Raiders defenders to show they can stick with the team moving forward.
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