The Oakland Raiders are not considered by many as a legitimate contender in the AFC West in 2018, and here are five reasons that is wrong.
The Oakland Raiders went into the 2017 NFL season with a ton of expectations, as they were coming off a 12-win campaign. Though he was injured late in the season, Derek Carr played at an MVP level, and the team looked to be one of the best in the AFC.
However, 2017 was an absolute nightmare, as the team ended up winning only six games. Carr got injured with a broken back early in the year, and never really looked right after that. In addition, the entire roster, outside of Khalil Mack, saw a drop in production, which resulted in the entire coaching staff being fired.
The first big move of the offseason came nearly right after the team’s Week 17 loss to the Los Angles Chargers, as they brought back legendary head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden then went out and got his coaching staff in order, bringing in some of the more talented coaches in the NFL.
Heading into 2018, the expectations on this team are very low, and most experts believe the division will be won by the Chargers. However, Gruden has this team back in a groove, and it will be interesting to see what kind of training camp he puts together.
With eyes already on September, we take a look at five reasons the Raiders can exceed expectation in 2018.