Raiders' biggest strength proves why they'll be a tough out in the AFC West

This article has nothing to do with the Raiders' QB situation. If you hate everything else about it, just please remember that this *isn't* about Garder Minshew, or Aidan O'Connell, or how they probably messed up this last Draft by not drafting a guy. This has nothing to do with the Raiders' QBs, and that in and of itself should be reason to celebrate.

Except, as every Raiders fan knows, there's no celebrating in the AFC West. It's hard to be excited about a whole lot when Patrick Mahomes' ironclad grip on the division isn't going away any time soon. The Raiders just have to wait out historically one of the best and youngest QBs of all time, which will probably be fine. And surely Justin Herbert won't have anything to say about that either. Fortunately, Sean Payton and the Broncos exist.

There is a very silver (and black, ha!) lining to this all, expertly pointed out to us by Bleacher Report in their latest big ... thing ... titled, "Every NFL Team Roster's Biggest Strength Amid 2024 OTAs." I'm not sure what's changed between now and when they did this after the draft, but whatever. What's important is that the Raiders' best position group – according to BR, at least – is excellent news for a team that has to find a way to win 2-3 games against Top 5 QBs.

Raiders' biggest strength proves why they'll be a tough to beat

Biggest Strength: Defensive Line

"From Weeks 9-18 they were the best defense in EPA allowed per rush and second in EPA allowed per play. The defensive front is a big reason. The Raiders just gave Maxx Crosby a pay bump, and he certainly deserved it after leading the league with 100 pressures, per Sports Info Solutions. His durability and relentlessness are remarkable, playing 95 percent or more of the snaps over the last two seasons ... "

"A breakout year from last year's first-round pick Tyree Wilson would help their case. Levi Edwards of the team's website already noted Wilson has undergone a physical transformation over the last year. That bodes well for the Raiders being even scarier in 2024."

At the risk of pointing out the obvious (BR already did, so I can too), this is good news for the Raiders. I'd even call it excellent news. If you're going to play in a division with the guys previously mentioned, you need to be able to consistently sack the guys previously mentioned. No one likes to watch 10-7 games, but if the Raiders can turn a few AFC West matchups into that, they'll be a tough out. If not, it doesn't really matter because they signed Gardner Minshew and can just blame it on him. A tale as old as time.