2016 could be the year where the Raiders finally return to relevance and break a 13 year streak of non winning seasons. They finished 7-9 with a very tough schedule (AFC West, AFC Central, NFC Central) last year, a four win improvement over the previous season. Unlike previous year, they were competitive in every game save the opener against the Bengals. They were the last team to beat the Super Bowl Champion Broncos. Here is where they ranked:
The 2015 Raiders were 14th in overall DVOA, 17th in offense, 15th and defense
The 2015 offense was 17th in points and 24th in yards
The 2015 defense was 11th in both yards and points allowed
While these numbers place the Raiders squarely in the middle of the pack, they are big leap from the team's bottom dwelling performances of the last three years. Considering that they made that jump with a young roster full of stars at key position, it is reasonable to hope that this improvement will continue with a jump in to the top tier of teams in the league in 2016.
Key returning players:
QB Derek Carr: - Carr made a huge leap in his second year - 32TD/13Int /7.0YPA/91.1 Rating/3987 total yards. He has 32 starts in his first two seasons and has thrown the second most TDs (53) of any qb in NFL history during their first two years.
Edge Rusher Khalil Mack - 15 Sacks and basically all of the love that Pro Football Focus can show for a defensive player
WRs Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree
CB David Amerson
Key losses:
Retirement: S Charles Woodson and DE Justin Tuck
FA: Back up DE Benson Mayowa to Dallas. 6th WR Rod Streeter to KC
Key Additions (all Free agency):
LG Kelichi Osemele
Edge Rusher Bruce Irvin
Edge Rusher Aldon Smith
CB Sean Smith
Safety Reggie Nelson
This team is going to be young and exciting, and faces both a weaker AFC West and a much more manageable schedule this year. They are going to get a ton of hype in August as an up and coming team, but they need continued growth from their key young players to really push for the top of the AFC. A more realistic goal would be a winning season and competing for the wild card. They are certainly past their days as bottom dwellers in the conference and, as free agency showed this year, as clearly getting respect from players across the league that hasn't existed for quite a while. This should be a fun season.
I will flesh out the middle of the post as we go.
The 2015 Raiders were 14th in overall DVOA, 17th in offense, 15th and defense
The 2015 offense was 17th in points and 24th in yards
The 2015 defense was 11th in both yards and points allowed
While these numbers place the Raiders squarely in the middle of the pack, they are big leap from the team's bottom dwelling performances of the last three years. Considering that they made that jump with a young roster full of stars at key position, it is reasonable to hope that this improvement will continue with a jump in to the top tier of teams in the league in 2016.
Key returning players:
QB Derek Carr: - Carr made a huge leap in his second year - 32TD/13Int /7.0YPA/91.1 Rating/3987 total yards. He has 32 starts in his first two seasons and has thrown the second most TDs (53) of any qb in NFL history during their first two years.
Edge Rusher Khalil Mack - 15 Sacks and basically all of the love that Pro Football Focus can show for a defensive player
WRs Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree
CB David Amerson
Key losses:
Retirement: S Charles Woodson and DE Justin Tuck
FA: Back up DE Benson Mayowa to Dallas. 6th WR Rod Streeter to KC
Key Additions (all Free agency):
LG Kelichi Osemele
Edge Rusher Bruce Irvin
Edge Rusher Aldon Smith
CB Sean Smith
Safety Reggie Nelson
This team is going to be young and exciting, and faces both a weaker AFC West and a much more manageable schedule this year. They are going to get a ton of hype in August as an up and coming team, but they need continued growth from their key young players to really push for the top of the AFC. A more realistic goal would be a winning season and competing for the wild card. They are certainly past their days as bottom dwellers in the conference and, as free agency showed this year, as clearly getting respect from players across the league that hasn't existed for quite a while. This should be a fun season.
I will flesh out the middle of the post as we go.
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