Looking at their record, it would appear the Raiders’ have fallen short of expectations so far this season. Viewed as an offensive juggernaut and possible AFC contender after the hiring of Josh McDaniels and acquisition of Davante Adams, Las Vegas is just 5-8 to this point. The Raiders’ offense ranks 11th in the league – not bad, but still just a point per game better after those offseason additions.

Part of the reason the Raiders have struggled has been injuries to key players. Their offensive projects were based on their four-headed monster on offense of Adams and Hunter Renfrow at receiver, Darren Waller at tight end, and Josh Jacobs at running back. However, Renfrow and Waller have both spent time on IR this season, and the Raiders haven’t had all four of those players healthy for a full game since Week 2.

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That stretch will come to an end this week when the Raiders take on the Patriots. On Saturday, the Raiders activated both Renfrow and Waller from IR, and both are expected to play in the game.

Just like that, the challenge for the Patriots’ defense against the Raiders gets that much more difficult. Not only are the Raiders adding significant talent to their offense but there’s not much on film to suggest how the Raiders might go about using those players – especially since there’s a new offensive coaching staff in place this year led by McDaniel.

“I don’t think you’ve really seen what the Raiders are actually able to do — and maybe we’ll see it this week — as far as the injuries are concerned,” Patriots linebacker coach Jerod Mayo pointed out earlier this week. “Waller’s probably coming back, and Renfrow’s probably coming back. They have Jacobs, they have Adams on the outside and [Derek] Carr, so this will probably be the first time in a long time that these guys are actually pretty healthy. It’ll be a huge challenge for us, and hopefully the guys are up to the task.” We broke down how the Patriots might go about covering this Raiders offense here in our weekly What to Watch For. 

Waller adds another big play threat to compliment Adams. The 6-foot-6, 255 pound tight end has caught 16 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown in four games this year, missing most of the season with a hamstring injury. In 11 games last season, he caught 55 passes for 665 yards and and two touchdowns.

Renfrow is Derek Carr’s volume target and one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. In six games this year before being placed on IR with an oblique injury, Renfrow caught 21 passes for 192 yards. He played a full season in 2021, catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.

Even in their absences, Adams and Jacobs have found ways to be impactful. Adams ranks third in the league with 1,247 receiving yards and is tied for the league lead with 12 touchdowns, while Jacobs’ is currently the NFL’s leading rusher with 1,402 yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].