Controversy overshadowed the Las Vegas Raiders’ second playoff appearance in two decades last year. Jon Gruden resigned after a 3-2 start after it came to light that he wrote a string of insensitive emails from 2011 to 2018 while he was working at ESPN. Rich Bisaccia took over as the interim coach and was able to right the ship and lead the team to a 10-7 record. The Raiders fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round, so they still have not won a playoff game in 20 years. The franchise hired Josh McDaniels to hopefully change that this season.
Las Vegas Raiders Season Win Total
Over 8.5 Wins -123
Under 8.5 Wins +103
2022 Las Vegas Raiders Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | @ Los Angeles Chargers |
| 2 | Vs. Arizona Cardinals |
| 3 | @ Tennessee Titans |
| 4 | Vs. Denver Broncos |
| 5 | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 6 | BYE WEEK |
| 7 | Vs. Houston Texans |
| 8 | @ New Orleans Saints |
| 9 | @ Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 10 | Vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| 11 | @ Denver Broncos |
| 12 | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 13 | Vs. Los Angeles Chargers |
| 14 | @ Los Angeles Rams |
| 15 | Vs. New England Patriots |
| 16 | @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 17 | Vs. San Francisco 49ers |
| 18 | Vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
Las Vegas Raiders Offense
Jon Gruden was hired to make this offense into one of the best in the NFL, but it took a couple years for the Raiders to get the ball rolling. They didn’t have much success moving the chains until 2020 when the Raiders ranked in the top ten in scoring offense and total offense. Josh McDaniels is now hoping to improve on that although his offenses in Denver were largely underwhelming.
The franchise made a big splash this offseason by trading for Davante Adams. Las Vegas dealt its first and second round pick in this year’s draft for Adams and immediately signed him to a lucrative long-term contract. Derek Carr is very familiar with Adams as the two played together at Fresno State, and Adams is the best receiver that Carr has had since joining the team. Adams was a First Team All-Pro the last two seasons.
Carr has been anywhere from an above average to a solid NFL quarterback for a long time. He has never been considered elite, but he could be poised to have the best season if his career with targets like Adams and Hunter Renfrow to throw to in the passing game. Darren Waller is one of the game’s best tight ends when healthy too, and the Raiders have two first-round picks to protect the edges on the offensive line.
This ground game wasn’t great last year. None of the top three running backs averaged more than 4.0 YPC, and Josh Jacobs has not been that efficient since a promising rookie campaign in 2019. The Raiders declined the fifth-year team option on him this offseason, making this a contract year for the young running back.
Las Vegas Raiders Defense
This side of the ball has been a major issue for the Raiders over the last several years. Las Vegas has not ranked in the top ten in either scoring defense or total defense since 2006, and the Raiders have generally ranked among the worst teams in the league in those categories.
They struck gold when they selected Maxx Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft as he has been one of the better pass rushers in the NFL with 25 sacks in 49 games. However, the front seven doesn’t have a lot of talent and can be run against by a dedicated team. Free agent signing Jayon Brown should help that somewhat, and Divine Deablo could take another step forward this season.
Las Vegas has dedicated a lot of resources to improving this secondary over the years, but the Raiders have continually struck out. Johnathan Abram and Trayvon Mullen Jr. haven’t been great, and Rock Ya-Sin might immediately be the best DB in this secondary.
Prediction
The Raiders are better on paper, but they were somewhat fortunate last year and are likely to take a step back. While the Raiders improved in the offseason, so did the AFC West, and they are likely to finish at the bottom of the division with a losing record as this defense still isn’t that good.
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