It was a season the Oakland Raiders waited 14 years for, but it ended with a big “what if.” With their collection of young talent and the emergence of Derek Carr, Oakland was predicted to finally put together a winning season and get to the playoffs last season. Check and check. They exceeded expectations and won 12 games, but lost Carr late in the year. They tiptoed into and out of the playoffs leaving many wondering what might have been. Maybe we’ll get a chance to see what happens in 2017.
Super Bowl 52 Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +310
Dallas Cowboys +1000
Seattle Seahawks +1100
Green Bay Packers +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +1300
Atlanta Falcons +1500
Oakland Raiders +1500
Kansas City Chiefs +2000
Denver Broncos +2500
New York Giants +2500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2800
Carolina Panthers +3000
Houston Texans +3000
Arizona Cardinals +3500
Minnesota Vikings +3500
Indianapolis Colts +4000
Tennessee Titans +4000
Baltimore Ravens +4500
Philadelphia Eagles +5000
New Orleans Saints +5000
Cincinnati Bengals +5500
Los Angeles Chargers +6500
Miami Dolphins +6500
Detroit Lions +6500
Washington Redskins +6500
Jacksonville Jaguars +8000
Buffalo Bills +9000
Chicago Bears +12500
Los Angeles Rams +15000
San Francisco 49ers +30000
Cleveland Browns +30000
New York Jets +30000
Key Factors For Winning the Super Bowl
Keep Derek Carr Healthy – The Raiders had one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL last season and we saw just how much Carr meant to the group late in year. The fourth-year starter put together an impressive season throwing for nearly 4,000 yards while completing a career-best 63.8 percent of his passes. More impressive was the cutback on interceptions. With nearly the same amount of tosses last season as he had in 2015, Carr threw half as many picks. As a result the offense was more efficient and the Raiders were seventh in the league in points scored per game. When he broke his leg in a Week 16 win over Indianapolis, the Raiders hopes of doing anything in the postseason vanished. Backup Matt McGloin got the start in the finale and was ineffective, being replaced by rookie Connor Cook. The Raiders managed just six points in a loss to Denver and ended the season with a wimper in a Wild Card round loss to Houston.
Defensive Improvements – The ability of the offense to score points and move the football took a lot of heat off a defense that wasn’t very good. Sure the Raiders have the Defensive Player of the Year in Khalil Mack, but as a group they finished in the bottom third of the rankings in rushing yards, passing yards and total yards allowed per game. They improved slightly as the year went on, but not enough to overcome the loss of Carr in the playoffs when Brock Osweiler and the Texans had their way. A change was made to the defensive coaching staff with former Chargers coordinator John Pagano brought in as an assistant. Ken Norton retained his gig as coordinator, but it looks like he’ll have a short leash. The team went heavy on defenders in the draft using its first three picks on corner Gareon Conley, safety Obi Melifonwu and tackle Eddie Vanderdoes. They also added linebackers Marquel Lee (draft) and Jelani Jenkins (free agent).
Lame Duck Status – After winning a total of 11 games in three seasons, the Raiders started to win some fans back with a 7-9 showing in 2015. The Black Hole became even darker with last year’s performance. During this offseason the team announced plans to move to Las Vegas, but will play in Oakland for at least another two seasons while the new stadium is being built. That has to sting a fan base that was abandoned by the organization once already, when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s. We’ll see just how much of an impact the team’s status is on its fans when they open in the Coliseum in Week 2.
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