A moment that many Las Vegas Raiders fans have waited for comes to fruition in Week 1 of next season as Josh McDaniels waits for them in New England.
It wasn’t that long ago that McDaniels was the young offensive mind whom Mark Davis entrusted with turning around the Raiders. Remember, the team was coming off a playoff appearance, but rather than building off the momentum, McDaniels sank it with incompetent leadership. The team regressed in every way imaginable, ultimately leading to McDaniels losing the locker room.
The Patriots, for their part, haven’t fared much better either. They too are under new leadership, well, technically not new—with Mike Vrabel returning as head coach. Regardless, many within Raider Nation have waited for the day when the Raiders can “thank” McDaniels on the field. They won’t have to wait long, as Silver and Black will head to Foxborough to do exactly that.
Funny enough, some old friends will also await the Raiders in Week 1. K’Lavon Chaisson, Mack Hollins, and Robert Spillane are all waiting as well. It’s going to be an interesting matchup, to say the least. McDaniels is now coaching a young quarterback in Drake Maye with an intriguing No. 1 wideout in Stefon Diggs.
The Raiders, for their part, are in a much different situation than the one McDaniels left them in. Carroll has brought stability to the quarterback position. On top of that, Ashton Jeanty brings another layer to an offense that was quite bleak last season. The question will be whether Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has enough tricks to slow down McDaniels’ offense. Say what you will about the former Las Vegas shot-caller, he can coach an offense. Of course, only when it’s an offense and not an entire team.
In case you were wondering, the oddsmakers are favoring the Patriots; the Raiders are 1.5-point underdogs.
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