Oakland Raiders: What You Need to Know Heading into Week 2

The Oakland Raiders walked away from their season-opening loss to the Indianapolis Colts feeling pretty good about themselves, all things considered. Still, a loss is a loss no matter what the spin is.

That being said, it’s on to Week 2 and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Here are a few things to consider as the home opener approaches.

Division Standings

AFC West	Record
Denver Broncos	1-0
Kansas City Chiefs	1-0
Oakland Raiders	0-1
San Diego Chargers	0-1

The Denver Broncos used Peyton Manning’s explosive performance in Week 1 to take the early division lead along with the Kansas City Chiefs. No big surprise there as both teams were favored to win. Neither was it too surprising to see the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers drop their openers.

By the same token, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see things even more crowded at the top after Week 2. The Raiders are carrying momentum into their home opener following a better-than-expected showing against the Indianapolis Colts, while Jacksonville scored just two points against Kansas City.

Denver, on the other hand, goes on the road to play the New York Giants who are still smarting after falling to the Dallas Cowboys in the Sunday night game. Kansas City will get a much better litmus test this week against the Cowboys, while the Chargers could easily remain winless after their trip to Philadelphia.

Injury report

Player	Injury
Tyvon Branch	Shoulder
Menelik Watson	Knee
David Ausberry	Shoulder

 All things considered, the Raiders came out of the game fairly healthy. Tight end Jeron Mastrud, who walked off the field after cramping up, is fine and should be available. A few other minor bumps and bruises but nothing major.

Ausberry and Watson could be cleared to return to practice but coach Dennis Allen wasn’t certain when or if it would happen.

WHAT MUST IMPROVE

1. As much as head coach Dennis Allen tried to deny it, there has to be some frustration over the lack of production from the running game. Take away quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s 112 yards and the numbers get downright ugly. Darren McFadden was a non-factor most of the game and can expect to see more defenses jam the line of scrimmage like the Colts did. Few, if any, teams can survive when the quarterback is the most effective runner on the field.

2. As good as Pryor was, he made a few costly mistakes and misreads on routes that Allen pointed out in his Monday press conference. The two most obvious errors were the interceptions, both in the red zone. That’s something he can’t afford to do if he wants to hold onto the starting job. Credit Pryor for taking the blame in the loss, however. That will gain him much respect in the locker room.

3. The offensive line had a tough time opening holes for the running backs, and the protection wasn’t as crisp as it needs to be, especially with an unproven passer like Pryor. The Raiders can’t count on their quarterback to always bail them out with his scrambling, though it is a nice weapon to have. What will be interesting to see is if Menelik Watson is cleared to practice, will Oakland immediately put him back in the lineup and shift Khalif Barnes back to right tackle, or will they stay with Barnes on the left side and Tony Pashos on the right?

4. Of Oakland’s four sacks, two came from the defensive backs. Granted, the pass rush improved as the game went along but there wasn’t a consistent enough push up front to really throw Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck off rhythm. With Jacksonville already minus starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert the Raiders should be able to generate a little more hurt on backup Chad Henne. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000241427/article/blaine-gabbert-hand-out-sunday-for-jaguars

5. Hard to believe kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed a field goal from under 50 yards but it happened and it was critical. Had Janikowski made the kick, Oakland would have been in position to go for a field goal on the final drive instead of a touchdown. We previously speculated there might have been an issue with holder Marquette King, but head coach Dennis Allen absolved the punter from any wrong-doing and said the miss was on Janikowski. Although no one is rushing to panic over one miss, it shows just how slim a margin of error the Raiders have.

6. More than anything, Oakland has to get off to a faster start against Jacksonville. They missed a golden opportunity to jump in front when Pryor’s pass was picked off in the end zone on the Raiders first drive, and they spent the rest of the game playing from behind. It would benefit Pryor and the rest of the offense to build an early lead so defenses can’t just pin their ears back late in the game when Oakland is in an obvious passing situation. It would also make things easier on offensive coordinator Greg Olson.