2020 Las Vegas Raiders: Better record, same disappointing result
By Kenny King
Despite the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders improved their record in 2020, the end was still the same disappointing result of 2019.
The Las Vegas Raiders finished their inaugural 2020 season with a record of 8-8, and on paper, this looks better than the previous year where the Raiders ended with a losing record of 7-9. While the Raiders looked to improve record-wise in 2020, those who watched the games know it’s a different story.
The Raiders started the season on a high note, going 6-3 for the first nine games, and looking like a legitimate playoff team. Then, in Week 11, a few mental lapses of safety Johnathan Abram in the late minutes of the fourth quarter allowed the Kansas City Chiefs the opportunity to score a touchdown and win the game.
The Week 11 loss was noted by some as a “moral victory,” but seemed to have plagued the team for the rest of the season. What happened from that moment on was a carbon-copy of the 2019 season, as a seemingly easier second-half schedule doomed the Raiders’ chances of making the playoffs.
Before we dive into the disappointments of the 2020 season, let’s look at some of the positives: