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Raiders Mailbag: Can the Raiders continue their success coming off their bye week?

It's true; all of the NFL "experts" predicted the Kansas City Chiefs to remain undefeated after the game against the Silver and Black Sunday in Arrowhead Stadium.

Good thing for the Raiders those "experts" didn't suit up to play.

The Raiders pulled off a remarkable upset against the reigning Super Bowl champions, winning 40-32, and putting the Raiders at 3-2 going into the bye week after a grueling first five games of the season.

A lot of you were overjoyed to see the success of the Raiders against the Chiefs and are anxious to see if that was just a glimpse of what's to come for the rest of the season moving forward.

I had the pleasure of once again answering some of your questions and seeing all of your positive Silver and Black energy. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me @theleviedwards on Twitter and Instagram.

Here we go again.

Chris Reese asks…

How much does a bye week benefit the team after coming off a huge win trying to keep momentum going in to the next game?

The Raiders seem to have all of the momentum after taking down the defending champs.

With the team above .500 going into their bye, they have definitely been able to find a groove early in the season. The Raiders have also had the toughest five-game stretch in the league to this point, as all of their first five opponents currently have a winning record.

Truth is, the Raiders' bye week couldn't have come at a better time. The game against the Chiefs showed what the Raiders are truly capable of as they continue to get healthier, and this bye week could give the Raiders some much needed rest and time for injured players to recover.

The Raiders could be in a position to get back starters Richie Incognito, Bryan Edwards, Damon Arnette, Maliek Collins and Maurice Hurst in time to play Tampa Bay. If they can get these guys healthy, they'll be close to full strength for the first time since Week 1 against the Panthers.

Of course a bye week can cause teams to lose a little momentum and collect rust. But the benefits of getting healthy in this case clearly outweigh that risk for this young Raiders squad. I predict for them to show how good they really can be moving forward coming out of their week off.

Franklin Blair asks…

I like to see DC air the ball out. Now that he has 2 reliable deep threats in Agholor and Ruggs, will we keep seeing this strong arm of his more often?

Franklin, my man, you ain't seen nothing yet.

The first four games of the season we saw Carr mostly make short, accurate checkdowns to his receivers, which helped him accrue an 8:0 TD-to-interception ratio.

But against the Chiefs we saw a more aggressive Derek Carr. For lack of better words, Carr went out there and slung that ball.

He has built great chemistry with Nelson Agholor so far, as he has rang up the former Eagles receiver for 10 catches on 11 targets with three touchdowns.

He also got back his speedy rookie wideout Henry Ruggs who missed two games due to knee and hamstring injuries. Ruggs caught two catches for 118 yards, one of those catches being a 72-yard bomb for a touchdown.

Gruden mentioned Monday that they are still trying to figure out ways to get Ruggs more involved in the offense and get him up to full speed. If 118 yards and a touchdown isn't up to full speed, then man, Ruggs is going to be serious problem.

The Raiders offensive line has been dominate up to this point despite injuries and Hunter Renfrow will be moving back to the slot on a regular basis once Bryan Edwards is healthy. I expect Carr to not only keep up the same level of success, but play even better moving forward.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nevin Lawson (26) makes a tackle during the regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Erik Romero asks…

Should Clelin Ferrell keep playing inside next to Arden Key on outside?

Clelin looked like every ounce of the No. 4 pick of the 2019 draft the Raiders selected him at last Sunday against the Chiefs.

The Raiders defensive line was plagued by injuries against the Chiefs, resulting in Ferrell being moved around the line in multiple spots. Wherever he was at on the line, he excelled.

Ferrell vigorously rushed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, constantly disrupting him throughout the game leading to Super Bowl MVP to be a bit inaccurate throughout the game. Ferrell had nine QB pressures against Mahomes with an 86.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which was the third-best among edge rushers Week 5.

With Ferrell and Maxx Crosby both starting to see success and anchor down the defensive line, expect to see them both get moved around the line playing on the inside and off the edge. Former LSU star Arden Key will definitely have his moments to shine off the edge with Crosby and Ferrell being so dominant off the line.

Mark Cochrane says…

"No questions. Just confidence. You guys are awesome and this is your year. All the hard work and decisions over the last couple of years is about to pay off. Keep it up, know how great you are and show the world!"

Mark, no answers. Just confidence.

I love this energy, I'm here for all of it.

Let's continue to shock the world. Just Win, Baby.

View director of photography Michael Clemens' top picks of black and white photos from the Raiders' Week 5 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

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