2018 has been disastrous thus far, however it is only going to get worse from here. With the Raiders most recent debacle at the hands of the 49ers and rookie third-stringer Nick Mullens, the Silver and Black have fallen to 1-7. And while it is still mathematically possible for the Raiders to reach the postseason, there is an exponentially higher chance this team finishes 1-15.
First off, the remaining schedule is brutal, especially for a team giving up 42 and 34 to the Colts and 49ers. The Raiders must play the Chiefs in the second half of the campaign. Just hope you don’t play someone with Patrick Mahomes or any Chief skill position player in Fantasy Football those weeks.
The Raiders must also face the good AFC North teams: the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens. All of whom will be battling for a playoff spot. Oakland does get the benefit of the Chargers and Broncos travelling to the Black Hole but this advantage is not equal to the gap in quality between our Raiders and our AFC West foes. However, there is one game that Oakland could have an advantage in. A Week 11 matchup in Arizona.
The Cardinals have but two win this year, both against the 49ers. They are starting a rookie QB in Josh Rosen who is already on his 2nd offensive coordinator this year. Although, the last time the Raiders faced a rookie QB, he set NFL Records for the first start of a career. Rosen’s career is off to a shaky start. He has tossed more INTs (6) than TDs (5).
When they meet in Week 11, the teams will be playing for two things: pride and draft status. It’ll be a class lose-lose situation for both teams. On the one hand, a win would likely cost the Raiders the number one overall pick. On the other, sitting through a 1-15 season sounds absolute horrendous. On the topic of pride, many among Raider Nation have questioned if this Silver and Black squad has any anyway. If you have watched last Thursday’s game against the 49ers, you saw that the effort was not outstanding by any means.
Of course, the Raiders could beat another team on the schedule besides the Cardinals. It just wouldn’t be a smart bet to take the Raiders over any team besides Arizona. Stranger things have happened before, like the Raiders beating the Chiefs on TNF for Carr’s first career win.
In reality, it is probably better if the Raiders just lose out and claim the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. That just makes every Sunday unpleasant to sit through. So, I’m with Herm here (see link please).
But, will the Raiders win again this year? I honestly have no idea, I never imagined they would be 1-7 at this point. Is it too early to start reading 2019 Mock Drafts? Asking for a friend. Go Raiders.