Expectations are pretty low for the Raiders going into the 2023 season. No one really views them as a playoff team and it would be a mild shock if they finished higher than No. 3 in their own division.
In fact, it appears that people believe the Raiders are going to be among the worst teams in the league this season and they might struggle to get to five or six wins.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report, Brad Gagnon took a look at every team’s win totals going into the 2023 season. The win total for the Raiders sits at 7.5 and it appears that most bettors are taking the under.
Gagnon believes the Raiders will go under that total, as well, as he has them projected at six wins. Here is why he believes the Raiders will struggle to stay competitive in the AFC this year:
Jimmy Garoppolo is a huge wild card from both a health and productivity standpoint, and I have a bad feeling about that dynamic in the AFC West. The Raiders were a six-win team with a bottom-seven DVOA last year, and it’s hard to confidently state they’ll beat that in ’23.
The good news is that the Raiders were able to be competitive in a ton of games last season. And if weren’t for a few late-game collapses (Cardinals, Rams, Steelers), the Raiders would have been in the playoffs last year.
Their balanced offense and their elite special teams unit will keep them in a ton of games. But their defense has to do a better job of getting key stops. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance to go over their win total. If not, it could be another 6-11 season for the Raiders.
