The Las Vegas Raiders will have another offseason of massive change. We offer some bold and brazen predictions for the Silver and Black in. Chiefs: ; Chargers: ; Raiders projected record ; Raiders: Most Wins in Raiders History. The Raiders' franchise record for most regular season. Away Opponents: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens. For the Raiders, this season has to be a good one after a brutal season that saw them blow numerous leads and finish with a record of
Most rosters are all but assembled, including the Las Vegas Raiders. Most importantly, for Roger Goodell at league headquarters, fans are eager to believe anything is possible. Not many fan bases are as hungry for a winner as Raider Nation. Consecutive decades of ineptitude have left supporters of the Silver and Black jaded, to say the least.
One silver [and Black] lining we could find. The last two winning seasons for the Raiders came with little-to-no expectations. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone picking Las Vegas to have a quality record, let alone make the postseason in Can second-year head coach Josh McDaniels prove the naysayers wrong and give new life to the Autumn Wind?
This should go without saying, but the win total is dependent upon the health of a certain quarterback who is never healthy, so yeah. The season begins with a trip to Mile High. Sean Payton will look to kick off his head coaching tenure in Denver with a win against a Raider squad that has swept the Broncos three years in a row.
Denver signed Semaje Perine during the offseason, but it is clear the Broncos will need Williams to carry the bulk of the burden as the weeks roll on. Adding a full-strength backfield to a stable of talented, if not underperforming, receivers should give Sean Payton more than enough toys to utilize. Patrick Surtain II and Justin Simmons anchor a young secondary, while Randy Gregory will look to have a bounce-back season off the edge.
Despite three straight sweeps, Las Vegas cannot take this team lightly. Expect heavy doses of Josh Jacobs to keep the rush honest and open up routes underneath for rookie Michael Mayer. But it may take time for everything to gel in Denver. McDaniels and co. Few teams can boast both a top-five offense and defense with the potential to be even better.
Buffalo will enter as hungry and talented as ever after bolstering their offensive line during free agency and the draft. Safety Jordan Poyer also agreed to return to a defense that could be welcoming back All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller as well. Raiders projected record In short, the Raiders are in for a long Sunday.
While anything is possible, I do not see this Raider defense doing much to keep the aforementioned Allen from picking them apart with his arm or his legs. The offensive line will continue to be a concern for Las Vegas as the season wears on, and this game will only add to those worries.
Prediction: Bills cruise; Allen faces child abuse charges for the Amik Robertson stiff-arm. Even with a clear downgrade at the position, the Silver and Black still have a better roster than Pittsburgh. Sure, second-year receiver George Pickens will be difficult to stop, and Najee Harris is still one of the better young backs in the league.
However, not even safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker T. Watt can help what should be a very attackable defense. Also, do we really believe Garoppolo is gonna make a bad first impression in front of all the… uh, beautiful new fans in Allegiant Stadium. This writer thinks not. Prediction: Jimmy G punches his lifetime membership card for the Bunny Ranch. The usual Herbert-fueled hype train should be full steam ahead by this point in the season.
On top of that, the team added Quentin Johnston — another big-bodied receiver — via the draft. The biggest difference for this team will be the hiring of Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator. The former Dallas OC is being tasked with taking Justin Herbert and this weapon-laden offense to the next level. However, if safety Derwin James, corner J. Jackson and the pass-rush duo of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are a full-go, things become interesting.
All-Pro edge-rusher Maxx Crosby will still be welcomed by a subpar matchup at right tackle. Dominating the trenches will be paramount for the Raiders to have any chance of escaping with a W. Prediction: Bosa slams Garoppolo like he slams his helmet after a blown call.
The Raiders will welcome Green Bay in their second primetime affair within the first five weeks of the season. Quarterback and part-time hallucinogen enthusiast Aaron Rodgers followed his third eye to the New York Jets. Former first-round pick Jordan Love will finally get his time to shine with the Big Cheese and has been bestowed a treasure chest of young weapons to grow along with.
Rashan Gary and Preston Smith wreck shops on the edge, while Kenny Clark devours space at nose tackle. Rasul Douglas makes a solid complement to Jaire Alexander in the secondary as well. Former Las Vegas interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who currently serves as the Packers special teams coordinator, even turned Keisean Nixon into a dangerous return man. Garoppolo was once part of a 49ers team that made life hell for Green Bay when it mattered most.
The Packers were quite susceptible to the ground game in , and the Raiders should look to exploit that. The Hoodie returned to Allegiant Stadium, but this time he brought an actual offensive coordinator. The Raiders defeated New England last season in one of the wackiest finishes you will ever see. Now-Raider Jakobi Meyers attempted a massive lateral back to sitting duck quarterback Mac Jones, which was intercepted and returned for a game-sealing touchdown by defensive end Chandler Jones.
New England will return with nearly all the same names, adding a few key additions such as tackle Riley Reiff and tight end Mike Gesicki. There are too many connective strands to go over, and by now we know all of them. The Raiders are more of a Patriots offshoot at this point than the once-renegade organization we all grew up loving.
The only thing missing is undeniable success and a fistful of Super Bowls. Oh, and the great coach. For all of their offensive struggles in , Bill Belichick had the New England defense back in familiar territory as a top-ten unit. The rich only got richer during the NFL draft when Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, once believed to be a top selection, slid all the way to the Pats at number Edge rushers Matthew Judon and breakout player Josh Uche will be more than ready to pounce on any weakness in the Raiders spotty front, as will defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
This game will be all about who makes more timely stops. Surely Garoppolo could make a throw like that with the game on the line. After an eventful offseason, the NFC North stalwarts enter with a bit of hope. Chicago gave their young quarterback a true number-one target in wide receiver D. On defense, the team made key additions to their linebacker room with Tremaine Edmunds and T.
They even drafted an offensive tackle—Tennessee standout Darnell Wright—who might actually be willing to block opposing defenders when they try to decapitate Fields. Adding Edmunds and Edwards is nice; growth from a young secondary is anticipated as well.
Even though the Raiders get the third-place schedule of opponents, they have the second-largest jump in year-over-year difficulty. The Raiders are projected to face the second-most difficult schedule of opponents. Their schedule includes six divisional games and four games against the strong AFC East.
Regression is likely in the luck department for the Raiders as their field goal and fumble luck from is likely unsustainable. Opponents missed 3. The Raiders also finished fourth in fumble luck, finishing the season with 3. Bears vs vikings over under Win today with best in class betting analysis and fantasy insights from experts you trust. By Curtis Hirsch T Aug 4, View Larger Image. Over 5. Learn More.