Most agree that the Las Vegas Raiders have improved across the board, but are they better than a six-win team this season? Well, certain people don’t seem to think so.
You could argue that this year’s version of the Raiders might surpass expectations. Can they topple the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West? Probably not. However, they could find themselves in a three-team war for the spoils of second place. Think about it for second…
The Raiders hired a legendary head coach that immediately brings legitimacy, culture, and just general enthusiasm (on a different level than say, Antonio Pierce). Carroll will motivate and he’s got the hardware to back it up (Lombardi Trophy, College National Championship, etc.). However, is it enough to get this team back into the playoffs which would undoubtedly require double-digit wins at minimum? USA Today’s Ayrton Ostly isn’t buying into the hype.
“We fully expect Las Vegas to take a step forward on both sides of the ball but especially on offense. Bringing in Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty as well as Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator should yield solid results; they should be better than 29th in the NFL in scoring this season.”
Are the 2025 Raiders better than a six-win squad?
In many ways, Ostly isn’t wrong. Theoretically, the Raiders offense should be vastly improved with stability at the quarterback position plus an infusion in the running back stable. The concern might lie with the defensive side. The team saw many of its veterans leave via free agency which isn’t lost on fans. Can this incoming rookie class combined with the signings by general manager John Spytek be enough to allow Patrick Graham’s boys to keep up with Kelly’s group?
The oddsmaker are also in agreement with USA Today, they have the Raiders at 6.5 wins for this upcoming season. It’s difficult to justify a winning season for the Silver and Black when the entire division went to the playoffs last season minus the Raiders. Many things can happen between now and Week 1 but it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any sort of tilt in that win total.
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