The age-old adage in the NFL is that the next game is always the most important. That isn’t true as some games are just far more important than others. Divisional games are worth more than non-division games and matchups in the conference are worth more than out-of-conference games. That is just common sense.
But the biggest game of the year for the Raiders really is next week. After winning back-to-back games, the Raiders finally have a chance to have a winning record after 11 games. And with the AFC playoff picture being so tight, getting a win against another conference opponent would be huge.
Here is why ESPN believes that this is easily the biggest game of the year for the Raiders:
For a team that just climbed back to .500 following two straight wins under interim coach Antonio Pierce, the next game is the most important game. Few expect the Raiders to go cross-country and upend the high-flying Dolphins, but Las Vegas’ defense has been its calling card under Pierce.
How the Raiders handle the literal and figurative South Florida heat will go a long way toward defining the rest of the year. After all, every game is a season unto itself, right?
The Raiders are big underdogs going into this game and it’s not hard to understand why. Miami has one of the best offenses in the league and they are coming off a bye. They are at home and need to get the win to separate themselves from the rest of the AFC East.
The odds are certainly stacked against the Raiders going into this week. But if the Raiders want to be a playoff team in 2023, they are going to need to get a few upset wins over the next month. It starts this week against the Dolphins in Miami.
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