Adam Rank predicts playoffs for the Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are a better team on both sides of the ball in 2020, and NFL.com’s Adam Rank feels they will be a playoff team.

After a seven-win 2019 campaign, the Raiders will be looking to take the next step forward, making the playoffs in their first season in Las Vegas. Derek Carr returns for his seventh season as the starter at quarterback, and his third in Jon Gruden’s system, and the expectation is that he will have a career-year with all the weapons around him.

In addition to the weapons at wide receiver for Carr, he also returns one of the best tight ends in football in Darren Waller, and an elite running back in Josh Jacobs. His entire offensive line returns in 2020 as well, so for Carr, all the pieces are in place for him to lead this team to the playoffs for only the second time in his career.

On defense, Mike Mayock spent money at linebacker, along the defensive line, and in the secondary, as he improved all three levels of the defense. The big upgrade is going to be at linebacker, though, as the team finally has some players at the position group that can actually cover.

Recently, Adam Rank from NFL.com went through the entire schedule for all 32 NFL teams, and where he feels each team may land. For Raider Nation, he predicts the playoffs.

Raiders finish 9-7, clinching the No. 7 seed in the AFC

Rank’s season prediction for all 32 NFL teams was nicely done, and while the Raiders did not come away with a division title, the expanded playoffs benefited them in a big way. Rank liked Las Vegas to finish out the year with a 9-7 record, clinching the No. 7 seed in the AFC, and making only their third playoff appearance since the 2002 NFL season.

In Rank’s simulated season, the Raiders actually lose in Week 1 on the road, before coming home and beating the New Orleans Saints in primetime to open up their new stadium. After losing three of their next five games, Rank likes the Raiders to put together a three-game winning streak against their division, capping that with a win against the Kansas City Chiefs, their first since 1917.

Back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets are proceeded by another three-game winning streak against the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins, before losing to Denver in Week 17. The nine-win campaign clinches the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

Of course, a win in Week 17 would give the Raiders a ten-win season, which would be another three-game improvement from the year before. This is a pretty realistic simulation of next season, as the Raiders continue to build towards being a perennial playoff contender.