3 Reasons the Las Vegas Raiders will exceed expectations in 2020
The Las Vegas Raiders enter a new era of football in 2020, and there are reasons to believe this team will exceed expectations in their first year in Sin City.
The Raiders are transitioning into a new city, with a brand new stadium and expectations to put on a show worthy of Las Vegas are exceptionally high. But what about the realistic expectations of how the Las Vegas Raiders will fare in regards to record and production? Many around the media, like Raiders reporter Paul Gutierrez, believe they will end right around where they fared last season.
He has them finishing with the same record at 7-9, while others predicted anywhere from 6-10 to 9-7.
After seeing all the reinforcements on defense, and shiny new toys at Jon Gruden’s disposal on offense, it’s hard not to think the Raiders will be able to improve from their record a year ago. Last season saw a very hot start that had them at 6-4 through the first 11 weeks, and one game behind the Chiefs for 1st in the division. Furthermore, they had gotten through the toughest part of their schedule, and headed into what looked like a drastically easier second half in comparison to the first.
But after suffering some untimely injuries, coupled with their inability to capitalize in the redzone, and failing to close out game, they unfortunately went 1-5 down the final stretch and missed the playoffs yet again.
The Raiders though, by all accounts, have looked to be getting better and more promising every year. It’s undeniable that things around the Raiders organization and the culture have changed and improved since Jon Gruden’s return. The addition of Mike Mayock as general manager has only help boost that trend as well.
The energy around this team and organization is electric. From the brand new stadium down to the cohesiveness this Las Vegas squad is building in the offseason.
As previously mentioned the expectations are ever climbing, but here are my 3 reasons why they will look to exceed them.