The challenge of a Titans defensive line anchored by Jeffery Simmons

6. How high is the sense of urgency for the Raiders?

Both teams will have a special sense of urgency to get a victory this Sunday.

The Raiders and the Titans are going into the game with 0-2 records, which is certainly less than ideal for two teams that made the playoffs last season. While both teams will play with heart and passion in Nissan Stadium, McDaniels doesn’t want to consider his team “desperate” for a victory. With 15 games left to play, he wants his squad to bring the same urgency every week, regardless of their record.

“Every week really is the same to us,” the head coach said. “I think that’s just the best way for us to approach each week. To me, if I change that, I would basically be telling my football team that this week is more important than last week, or what have you, and they’re all important. Every day is important. I think it’s important for us to be consistent and try to learn from the things we haven’t done well. Whether we won or lost, there’s going to be a lot of lessons to learn. Nobody plays a perfect football game, that’s almost impossible to think of.”

Derek Carr agreed that’s been the mindset and mentality in the locker room, crediting McDaniels for holding the locker room accountable every day – no matter the results of the scoreboard.

“I think if I’m honest, the way that Josh and everyone in this building has made our mindsets and the way we do it is, win or lose, it’s going to hurt, we’re going to correct it and we’re going to work,” Carr said.

“Even on good days at camp, bad days at camp, we came in and did the same thing every day. He really tries to make it because he’s coached in some of the biggest games, he’s been around it. He knows that that’s the process on how to do it. And so, he’s just teaching us that there’s no heightened sense of anything. It should always be heightened. And he has really put that pressure on.”