Are the Raiders a top-5 sleeper team for the 2022 season?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have a strong roster on both sides of the ball, but are they a legitimate sleeper for the 2022 NFL season?
Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders made a shocking run to the playoffs, winning four straight regular-season games, including one against division rival Los Angeles in Week 18. Despite that, and them getting better on both sides of the ball this offseason, nobody seems to think they will do much of anything in 2022.
All the talk coming out about the AFC West is that the Kansas City Chiefs will be back in it, Denver got much better thanks to Russell Wilson, and the yearly “Justin Herbert is going to lead the Chargers to the Super Bowl” talk.
Despite all of this, Las Vegas has quietly gotten it done in terms of the roster, bolstering areas of need, and adding All-Pro talents like Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. The truth is, Las Vegas is going to be a very good football team in 2022 and should punch their ticket to the playoffs once again.
Recently, Rich Eisen from the NFL Network put out his list of the top-5 sleepers teams for the 2022 season, and the Silver and Black came in at No. 3 overall. In fact, Las Vegas only fell behind Cincinnati and No. 1, and Philadelphia at No. 2, so that is high praise coming from someone who knows his stuff when it comes to the NFL.
Raiders should challenge for an AFC West title in 2022
Kansas City has been the gold standard in the AFC West for a long time now, and yes, the Chargers and Broncos got better this offseason. However, so did the Raiders, and if they can figure things out along the offensive line, there is no reason why they cannot challenge for an AFC West title, especially with all the weapons they have on offense.
On defense, Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones are going to be a handful in terms of stopping them from getting after the quarterback, and the secondary is improved. We should see a Raiders team that is more opportunistic on defense this season as well.
Las Vegas made the playoffs last season, so them making it back should not be a surprise. Making a run would be a surprise, but based on all the veteran talent they have, and how explosive they should be on offense, Eisen was right to name them a sleeper for the upcoming season.