Six wins is too low a prediction for the 2019 Oakland Raiders
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders won four games last season, and even with all the additions on both sides of the ball, the media does not expect them to win much more than that in 2019.
With training camp slated to kick off next week for most teams, including the Oakland Raiders, it is time for all of the national experts to weigh in on how each team will do in the upcoming season. While rosters will certainly start to take shape over the next 50 days, it is never too early to take a look at what the media is expecting the Silver and Black to do in 2019.
While some have expected the Raiders will surprise some people in 2019, there are others who feel it will be the same old story in Oakland for their final season in the Bay Area.
Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated recently predicted the win totals for all 32 NFL teams in 2019, and not surprisingly, the Raiders were towards the bottom of the AFC West. In fact, Orr has both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers making the playoffs, with the Chiefs winning the division once again with a 13-3 record.
For Oakland, Orr likes the Silver and Black to finish with only six wins, basing his prediction on the fact that they have a young core of players. However, there are more than a fair share of veterans who will be expected to lead this team next season like Derek Carr, Antonio Brown, Rodney Hudson, Vontaze Burfict, and Trent Brown to name a few.
While the rookies will be expected to step up, and the second-year players to become leaders, there is enough veteran talent on this team to lead the way, especially early on. In addition, the Raiders will finally have most of the same coaching staff for the second year in a row, which will prove huge for the younger players on the roster this season.
Next. Raiders run D will be better than PFF ranking. dark
The Raiders are a tough team to predict when it comes to win totals in 2019, based on the fact they have such a tough early season schedule. They take on some of the more elite quarterbacks in football this season, and it will be interesting to see if their new-look defense can get the job done.