The Raiders won just 10 games the last three seasons and are on their third head coach during that time. They lost their home opener by 20 points to the Bengals last week and their starting quarterback is dealing with an injury to his throwing hand.
The Ravens are heavy favorites entering Sunday’s matchup, but that won’t carry much weight when the two teams take the field Sunday afternoon.
“There’s always a talented roster, so we can never overlook an NFL team,” Dumervil said. “They’ve got players who get paid too.”
Dumervil pointed to Oakland’s coaching staff as a reason why Baltimore can’t take their opponent lightly. The Raiders are in their first year under Head Coach Jack Del Rio, a veteran NFL coach who won a Super Bowl on Brian Billick’s staff in Baltimore.
Del Rio was also Dumervil’s defensive coordinator in Denver for a season.
“He’s a great coach, so I know their team is well-coached,” Dumervil said.
Del Rio is intent on turning around Oakland’s fortunes, and while the Raiders have struggled to come up with wins in recent years, they have stock-piled a roster with high draft picks. Last year’s first-round pick Khalil Mack has already established himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen.
Oakland also recently signed another former top-10 pass rusher in Aldon Smith.
“They have a lot of good players, a lot of high picks, a lot of really good pass rushers,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said.
On the other side of the ball, this year’s first-round pick Amari Cooper has all the tools to develop into a starting wide receiver. The Raiders also signed former top-10 pick Michael Crabtree as their other starting receiver.
The Raiders have talent and they also have the benefit of playing at home, so the Ravens know they can’t pay any attention to what the matchup looks like on paper.
“We’ve got to be prepared in their hostile environment – the Black Hole,” Dumervil said. “We’re excited for that challenge.”
