The Raiders’ early-season turnaround has come with plenty of signs that this team is moving in the right direction. At 3-1, after opening with three straight wins before falling to the Chiefs in Week 4, Las Vegas has already shown the kind of broad improvement it spent the offseason chasing. But as the Raiders prepare for the Patriots, one area stands out above the rest as the one that needs to clean itself up fast: special teams.
That unit has touched every game so far, for better and for worse. Las Vegas has had a special teams moment in all four contests this season, and not all of them have helped.
In Week 1, Dylan Laube averaged nearly 50 yards on kickoff returns. Over the last two weeks, though, the group has coughed up two fumbles.
That’s the kind of swing that can tilt a game in a hurry, and it’s exactly why the Raiders are paying such close attention to that phase of the game now.
Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis knows the margin gets thinner every week, especially with New England next on the schedule. He pointed out after Friday’s practice that the Patriots have plenty of film to study, and that the chess match is only getting more complicated.
“I mean, it's always a chess game every time. I mean, our stuff's on tape, so I mean, I have a lot of tape, so they've looked at a lot of tape. So, they did a great job last week, but this is another one that's going to be a challenge this week because Jeremy Springer, who's the coordinator there, was my assistant in LA for the first year when I was there, so they've got some MO on me too there,” DeCamillis said after practice on Friday.
The Raiders have clearly made special teams a priority, not an afterthought. That has shown up in the way the staff has carved out time during the week for the unit to improve. And with the offense and defense both getting the bulk of the offseason attention and investment, the kicking game has become just as important to the team’s overall picture.
There’s also a new wrinkle this week: Las Vegas will play in an open-air stadium for the first time this season. Weather could matter, and DeCamillis said the conditions may actually help the specialists handle the environment.
“Well, you look at the weather reports, all those type of things. Luckily, at this place, you get a lot of wind, which we've had that during training camp and all that stuff.
It was 115 when it's like that, but I do think being in the wind is going to help both Matt [Gay] and AJ [Cole] and Alex [Ward] on that. That's really three that are the most important, and then the returners also," DeCamillis said.
Even with the Week 4 loss, the Raiders are still in position to keep stacking wins. They can get to 4-1 after a year in which they won seven games combined over the previous two seasons.
That’s a strong sign of progress, and even a loss to the Patriots would leave them ahead of schedule. Still, the bigger picture only matters if the mistakes get corrected.
That’s the reality for Las Vegas right now. The team has improved across the board, but special teams has become the area that most clearly needs attention. If the Raiders want the next stretch of the season to keep building toward something bigger, that unit has to stop giving away ground.
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Raiders Head To New England With 3 Players Under Pressure
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Among the names drawing the most attention are White and Walker, two players expected to have a meaningful say in how this matchup unfolds. Their recent work has put them under the spotlight, and against a Patriots team that can make opponents work for every yard, their impact may determine whether the Raiders can turn the page from last week and leave the East Coast with something to build on. [Read more 🡒]