The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the top stories in the NFL after they have started 3-0 to begin this season. The perfect stats changes and affects a lot of things about this team moving forward. Let’s discuss:
Trade talk:
There was a lot of speculation the Raiders could potentially revisit the idea of trading star defensive end Maxx Crosby before the November 10 deadline. But if the Raiders stay in the playoff hunt they likely will not be interested in weakening this roster. In fact, the Raiders may
be deadline buyers rather than sellers.
Award talk:
Klint Kubiak for Coach of the Year? Kirk Cousins for MVP? Zeke Masses for Defensive Rookie of the Year? Brock Bowers for Offensive Player of the Year? Yes, all of it.
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Playoff-chase cushion:
The Raiders are entering a tough eight-week stretch. They are built to survive it, even if they don’t have a winning record in the stretch. Say, Las Vegas wins three of the next eight games. They’d still be 6-5 and very likely still in the playoff hunt heading into the stretch run. They’ve built themselves a nice cushion.
Mendoza timeline:
Fernando Mendoza, you remember, right? The question of when he will become the Raiders’ starting quarterback has long been the topic surrounding the team. Now, with the team undefeated and Cousins playing great football, the Mendoza talk is on the backburner. If the Raiders keep winning and Cousins stays a big reason why, a change is extremely unlikely.
Draft order:
Raiders fans are used to this team picking high. That may not the case in 2027. So, that could change the path for a top wide receiver. Jeremiah Smith and Charlie Becker may require a trade-up scenario if the Raiders covet either of them.
Flexed games:
The Raiders weren’t assigned any prime-time games when the schedule was released in May. That could change soon. If the Raiders keep winning, they could get flexed into a night game. A game to keep an eye on is the November 8 gamee at the San Francisco 49ers possibly getting bumped up to Sunday Night Football.
Assistant coach could be coveted:
Every January, teams like to pluck assistants from winning teams. That could happen with Kubiak’s staff. Could Rob Leonard get some head-coaching consideration after just one year a defensive coordinator? Yes, I could see him getting some interviews, at least.
See, winning changes everything.
