There isn’t a lot of optimism surrounding the Raiders going into the year. After taking a step backward in 2022, the belief is that the Raiders will finish in last place in the AFC West and could struggle to reach eight wins.
In a recent article by Rotoworld, they discussed the Raiders at length heading into the 2023 season. They broke down the entire starting offense, including the signing of new franchise QB Jimmy Garoppolo. However, they are less than excited about the direction the team is headed.
According to Patrick Daugherty, he believes the Raiders will go under their 7.5 win total that is projected on most sportsbooks. Here is what he had to say about the potential outcome of the 2023 season for the Raiders:
Typically installed at 7.5, the Raiders have a number of things going against them. Stationed in the same division as Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Sean Payton, they are rated as having the league’s most difficult schedule by Warren Sharp.
Throw in the fact that their new most important player in Jimmy Garoppolo is over 30 and one of the most injury-prone players in the league, and this has all the looks of a situation that is going to get worse before it gets better, potentially exponentially so. If the under feels obvious, that is because it should.
If the Raiders want to have any chance of going over their 7.5-win total for the 2023 season, they’ll need Garoppolo to stay healthy and play well. The Raiders have a ton of talent on offense, but they need a quarterback that can reliably get them the ball.
But if he is unable to stay on the field or can’t mesh with the playmakers around him, then the national media could be right about this version of the team. Regardless, they should be one of the more fascinating teams to watch this year in the NFL.
