The Raiders have had a nightmare beginning to the 2022 NFL season.
After giving out nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in guarantees this offseason, between contract extensions and free agent signings, Las Vegas had high expectations coming off of a playoff berth last year. As things stand after their Week 6 bye, the Raiders find themselves dead last in the AFC standings.
Though appearing to be better than their 1-4 record suggests with a point differential of just -5, the sentiment that the Raiders could or should have a much better record does not lift them from the hole that they have placed themselves into.
While there is still plenty of football to be played, 12 games to be exact, only six teams since 1980 began the season 0-3, like the Raiders did, and made the playoffs. Albeit there is an extra game, nowadays.
The Silver and Black will undoubtedly be heading into their Week 7 matchup against the Texans, and the rest of their season, with a sense of urgency. Owner Mark Davis did not mince words this offseason when explaining that he had no plans of rebuilding, and he has proven it with the amount of money spent on core pieces.
Despite a softer bit of the schedule coming up for the Raiders, this team has proven through the first five games that it is more than capable of losing to anybody (even if they are winning 20-0 at halftime). Las Vegas has shown signs that a good team is somewhere in there, but whether or not they will put it together remains to be seen.
As we approach the post-bye week portion of the Raiders’ 2022 campaign, let’s dive into a few bold predictions for the remaining three months of the NFL season.