X-Factors for Raiders vs. Titans
In a battle of 0-2 teams, the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans are trying to keep their seasons from being left for dead.
That will require a number of players to step up for both teams, and some of them could be the X-factors that save one team's season.
The Raiders interior offensive line
The Tennessee Titans have a talented defensive front, and no player will demand more attention than defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Simmons has the talent to wreck the Raiders offense, and that makes the job that the Silver and Black's interior offensive line critical in this game.
Getting starting center Andre James back would help that effort, and he was a limited participant in practice for the first time on Thursday since he suffered a concussion.
Otherwise, the trio of Dylan Parham at center and John Simpson and Lester Cotton Sr. at guard will need to step up to the plate, big time.
Wide receiver Treylon Burks
After the Titans traded Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Brown, they effectively replaced him by taking Treylon Burks in the first-round of this year's NFL Draft.
A talented prospect out of Arkansas, Burks has shown flashes of the physical ability he demonstrated in college, but it hasn't come with many opportunities.
In two games, with one start, Burks has been targeted 11 times, catching seven passes for 102 yards.
He could see more opportunity against the Raiders defense, who 28th in pass yards given up over the first two games.
Will the Titans rushing defense continue to be exploitable?
Just last season, the Titans has the second best rushing defense in the NFL, allowing opponents to average only 3.9 yards per carry.
That has so far not carried over into 2022, seeing that YPC figure rise all the way to 6.1.
The Raiders haven't been able to make the run game a significant factor in their offense to open the season, ranking 31st in the NFL in rushing attempts.
If they're ever going to find true balance on offense, they need to make running the ball a priority, and the Titans current state on defense could allow them to do so.
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