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Five Takeaways Into Week Two for Las Vegas Raiders

Here are five quick takeaways for the Las Vegas Raiders heading into week two versus the New Orleans Saints.
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The Las Vegas Raiders defense helped secure their first win of the season against the Panthers in a fourth-and-short situation with less than two minutes left.

The defense struggled throughout the game but managed to stop the Panthers when needed.

The Raiders defense found themselves having bad reads and communication problems, but all that comes without having any preseason games for them to practice and build chemistry, all in which are correctable with time and effort.

Inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, the Raiders signal-caller, left the game as he sustained a pectoral injury that does not seem severe, but he might still need to miss some time.

Raekwon McMillan stepped up and helped fill in his role.

This defense will need all hands on deck next Monday night to host the Saints in their home opener in Las Vegas.

The Saints offense is rated as the fifth-best offense by Pro Football Focus. After setting an NFL record with the fewest turnovers in NFL history (eight), they finished the last season 13-3 and captured their third consecutive NFC South Division championship.

Here are five takeaways on what the Raiders defense will have to see next Monday night.

No. 1 the coaches, head coach Sean Payton has built a juggernaut team on a mission for a Super Bowl or bust season. The offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael, has been the mastermind behind the Saints offense for the last 12 years. His high-powered offense will challenge the Raiders young defense.

At No. 2, quarterbacks Drew Brees and Taysom Hill. I say quarterbacks because they will both be out on the field. Brees' ability to read defenses and make plays will force the Raiders to throw a mix of different looks. And they need to stop Hill from making plays off the option reads and trick plays.

The No. 3 takeaway is the running back position; we know what a healthy running back, Alvin Kamara, can do. His versatility to run and catch the ball from the backfield makes him a threat at all times, and his backup, former Raider Latavius Murray, is a strong back who compliments the power running game.

At No. 4 are the pass-catchers. All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas is questionable to play in Week 2 after sustaining a high ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas is expected to play through the injury; the primary weapon on that Saints offense is still someone the Raiders secondary should keep an eye on. His sidekick Emmanuel Sanders is an underrated wide receiver who can have a big game at any time. Another big target who would challenge the Raiders defense is former Raider Jared Cook at tight end. The injury of Kwiatkoski hurts the Raiders defense when it comes to this match-up. This will be a test on how much the Raiders linebacker unit has progressed.

The last takeaway on this offense is the collective group of lineman ranked the second-best by PFF. Left tackle Terron Armstead, left guard Andrus Peat, center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, keep the pocket clean for Brees and make holes for the running backs. This offense moves forward because of this line. But heading into Week 2, right guard Ruiz is questionable to play. Nick Easton came in during Week 1 and did a good job holding it down. If there's a weakness of the line, it should be that spot.

The Raiders defense will need to build from last week's win and prepare to battle against one of the league's best offenses. There is a lot of learning to do and what better way but to go out there on the field and be tested early in the season.

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