On Thursday night, Raiders’ fans learned that they will be hosting four prime time games in the 2020 NFL season. It’s pretty clear that the NFL believes the Raiders will be competitive this season and they want to show off the new stadium in Las Vegas.
However, not everyone is sold that the Raiders will be in the playoff hunt in the AFC.
In a recent article by Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, he gave a win-loss prediction for every team after the schedule was released. Davenport believes the Raiders have an incredibly tough schedule to start the season and they could get off on the wrong foot.
Although the Raiders’ opponents were a combined 127-129 a year ago, it’s difficult to imagine this team being a real force in the AFC West in 2020. It’s not a matter of talent, as Las Vegas added some on both sides of the ball in the offseason. But there are too many holes left for this team to win more than it loses against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ultimately, Davenport believes that the Raiders will go 6-10 and finish third or fourth in the division. If that ends up being the case, it will certainly be considered a disappointing season for the Raiders and a step in the wrong direction.
However, it does feel more likely that they wind up closer to 8-8 as the team has dramatically improved on both sides of the ball. If they can start the season off with a surprise win over the likes of the Saints or Patriots, it would go a long way in convincing the rest of the league that they are an upcoming force to deal with in the future.
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