The Las Vegas Raiders may be going through a tough time right now, but there are still reasons for hope in the 2021 campaign.
For Raiders fans, things are, once again, looking bleak. Over the past eight days, after a 3-0 start to the 2021 NFL season, the Raiders have suffered back-to-back losses, including an ugly loss to a mediocre Bears team. On Monday night, they also saw their head coach, Jon Gruden resign following the surfacing of emails in which Gruden used misogynistic, racist, and homophobic language.
Things have not been easy for Raiders fans over the last two decades. They have had to endure failed quarterback experiments, from Jamarcus Russell to Terrelle Pryor, outlandish player behavior from the likes of Randy Moss and Antonio Brown, and horrendous coaching hires such as entirely too green coaches in Lane Kiffin and Dennis Allen.
Not to mention the fact all of that came along with just one winning season. In that season, though, Raiders fans’ dreams were once again crushed as Derek Carr broke his ankle before the postseason.
Now, once again, Raiders fans find themselves in the familiar territory of being let down and disappointed by the team they love. After the shocking news of Jon Gruden’s departure this season, however, all hope should not be lost among Raider Nation.
There are several reasons to be optimistic for Raiders fans regarding the outlook for the rest of the 2021 season.
Las Vegas is still sitting in second place of the AFC West at 3-2, with an upcoming game against the division rival Denver Broncos. The Raiders have a relatively favorable schedule going forward as well, as they face only two more opponents outside of their division that reached the postseason in 2020.
If the Raiders can beat the less talented Broncos and Eagles, heading into the bye week at 5-2 would be an impressive and inspired response to the events that have transpired over the last several days.
Let’s take a look at three reasons why Raiders fans should still have hope for the rest of the 2021-2022 campaign.