The Oakland Raiders entering the 2019 season hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. With an improved roster, especially on defense, Oakland is hoping they can significantly improve on their four-win season from 2018.
While the playoffs are certainly the goal, many believe those aspirations are too lofty. In a recent piece by Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, he predicted that the Raiders’ ceiling in 2019 is 9-7.
On the flip side, Gutierrez believes Oakland’s floor is 4-12, which would be quite the disappointment considering the moves they made this offseason. Take a look at his thoughts on the team heading into the new season:
This will be only the second time in (Derek) Carr’s six-year NFL career that he will play in the same system for a second straight season. The other time? Back in 2016, when Carr played at an MVP level before breaking his right ankle. Carr looked more confident and polished in his second camp with Gruden and said he was playing the best football of his life late last season. The rebuilt offensive line will now be tasked with keeping him upright after he was sacked a David Carr-like 51 times last season, and Antonio Brown will be a welcomed asset on offense.
Is nine wins really the ceiling for Jon Gruden and the Raiders? While the schedule is incredibly difficult, they clearly have enough talent on both sides of the ball to make a run. And as Gutierrez mentioned, the key to the season will be if the Raiders can keep Derek Carr upright. If that happens, look out as Oakland has the weapons to scare teams.
10-11 wins isn’t out of the equation if everything breaks right for the Raiders this season. However, it’s more realistic the Raiders improve by three or four wins, rather than five or six.
