A reason for optimism? A look at what’s coming up for the Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders went into the bye week looking to get refreshed and recharged after starting the season 1-5.

The timing of the bye week couldn’t have been better. Injuries have riddled the team, the latest revealed Friday when it was reported that running back Marshawn Lynch will be gone for at least a month because of a groin strain.

Lynch suffered the injury in a 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in London.

That means the Raiders will be without Lynch against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 28.

“The timing definitely comes where we just need to kick back and just get your mind back right and enjoy your loved ones,” Raiders running back Jalen Richard told reporters on Monday. “As a team, get healthy for sure because we had some key injuries across the board and we lost a lot of guys in this last game in London, as well.”

If the Raiders are looking to turn their season around, the next several games are a chance to do so.

Three of Oakland’s next four games are against teams that have sub-.500 records (Colts 1-5, San Francisco 1-5 and Arizona Cardinals 1-6).

Minus the home game against the Colts, the Raiders will visit the 49ers on a short week (Nov. 1) and travel to Arizona on Nov. 28.

“We just need to make sure we keep being together,” Raiders defensive tackle P.J. Hall said. “Make sure we have this common goal and win this next game we have coming up.”

The Raiders were competitive in three of six games, but let opportunities against the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins get away after having a double-digit lead in each game.

Oakland picked up its first win defeating the Cleveland Browns 45-42 in overtime, but since the Raiders have been blown out in consecutive weeks by the Los Angeles Chargers and the Seahawks.

“Using this bye week as our advantage to really clear our minds and come back and ready to compete,” Richard said. “We’ve got to go out there and have fun and continue to compete. We just can’t let nobody just do us the way Seattle did us this past weekend. Just can’t happen.”