Oakland Raiders: 5 Bold Predictions for the 2018 NFL Season

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders Win the AFC West

This may be the most bold prediction of the five to some, but it’s actually not as crazy as most people think. The AFC West is perhaps the most open division in the NFL. So much is unknown with all four teams. Not even the Kansas City Chiefs can truly be called the favorite. Sure, they have a great coach in Andy Reid, which is enough to make them a problem, but I wouldn’t label them as the favorite to win the division because of their quarterback transition to Patrick Mahomes. So much is going to be asked of him leading the team to the playoffs, which is something I’m not sure they can do.

The Raiders, on the other hand, have a real case to be made unlike, the other teams. The team the Raiders fielded in 2016 is fairly identical to the one they have now. In fact, the offense is practically the same with some improvements from 2016 and the defense has added plenty of quality players with a real experienced defensive coordinator to call it. The only argument against this team is the same narrative that’s been echoed all year long. “Jon Gruden is a mystery.” Sure, but is he really?

Do we really not have any idea how he’ll operate? The media has practically kept a magnifying glass on him since he took the head coaching position. So there is definitely an idea of how Gruden will handle the team. This offense will be successful, but that’s another bold prediction. It really is just on defense, which I see no chance of being worse than in 2017 and 2016.

The defensive coaching staff is just beyond superior to that of the last few years. They’ll be able to maximize the potential of the defense. With all that said, I don’t see or think it’s likely the Raiders duplicate their 12 wins from 2016, but a 10-6 record looks very attainable and enough to get out of the AFC West as the winners. I already mentioned the defensive coaching staff, but as a whole, the coaches are a massive upgrade.

It’s baffling to me to see some media members predicting the Raiders to have a five or six-win season. The talent is there, it’s just a matter on if we think the coaches are too. But I mean, does anyone who pays attention to this team really think Gruden and his staff will be anything close to that of the Jack Del Rio debacle? Impossible. And that is why this team will win the division because they have the right coaches in place to utilize the talent, which was the main reason for the downfalls of 2017.

Next Page: No. 4

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