The expectations for the Raiders have never been lower. After a 6-11 season in Year 1 under Josh McDaniels, many are expecting the team to take another step backward. Especially in the AFC West.
In a recent article by Tyler Fulgham of ESPN, he projected all 32 NFL teams and their win totals for the 2023 season. For the Raiders, he projected that they would go under their 7.5-win total set by most sportsbooks.
But the more surprising prediction was that the Raiders would win fewer than 2.5 games in the AFC West. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the Raiders going into the year:
The Raiders downgraded at QB to Jimmy Garoppolo, who might be too hurt to play. Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing in 2022, is threatening to hold out after failing to reach a long-term deal with the club. Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby are two of the best in the league at their position, but that’s about all there is to get excited about.
In an AFC West that features the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the supremely talented Los Angeles Chargers and a Broncos team that is now coached by one of the best in Sean Payton, it’s hard to imagine the Raiders winning a lot of games this season.
The Raiders have won at least three games in the AFC West in each of the last three seasons and in 2020, they were 4-2 in the division. While they’ve certainly struggled against Kansas City Chiefs in the Patrick Mahomes era, so has the rest of the division. But they always find a way to get at least a few wins against the Broncos and Chargers.
Are the Raiders really going to go 2-4 (or worse) in the division this year? That feels pretty unlikely as they still are incredibly talented on offense. Don’t be surprised if the Raiders exceed expectations here and sweep at least one team in the AFC West.
