The Oakland Raiders looked to be back on track after surviving a thrilling Week 7 matchup against one of their division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. However, things came crashing back down after a dispiriting Week 8 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Derek Carr once again struggled on the road, throwing two picks to a stout Buffalo defense. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree were held largely in check and questions are once again beginning to bubble as to whether or not this Raiders squad is actually playoff-worthy.
According to Associated Press, Jack Del Rio believes Oakland is still searching for their in-game magic:
As I said yesterday, I feel like we’ve earned this 3-5 through the first half of the year,” Del Rio said. “Nobody is real happy about that. I think we all take responsibility and are accountable for that. We’re going to go into the second half and look to make it a whole lot better in the second half. We need to kind of get our mojo back a little bit.”
No one expected a 3-5 record through eight weeks, so it will be difficult for the Raiders to contend for a playoff spot given their tough schedule. Carr and the rest of the offense will need to drag the team to wins if they hope to be successful.
The rest of the AFC West is struggling which puts the silver and black still in the mix for playoff contention. They have a good chance to right the ship in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins.
