LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (8-9)
EXPECTATIONS: Antonio Pierce gave the team a jolt of energy when he replaced coach Josh McDaniels at midseason on an interim basis, and the Raiders went 5-4 after that. Now that Pierce is the full-time coach, the burden is on him to prove experts wrong that Las Vegas will struggle again this season. It won’t be easy. The Raiders are going with journeyman quarterback Gardner Minshew with second-year pro Aidan O’Connell in the wings. Not having a for-sure franchise quarterback figures to hold back a team with some offensive firepower in Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker and a potential game-breaker in rookie tight end Brock Bowers. The Raiders likely will need to win games with their running game and defense. Zamir White showed he could be a strong lead back over the final month of last season, but now must do it for the entire year. Led by Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, the defense could be good enough to keep Las Vegas in games and give the offense a chance.
NEW FACES: Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, DT Christian Wilkins, QB Gardner Minshew, TE Brock Bowers, RB Alexander Mattison, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL DJ Glaze, LB Tommy Eichenberg.
KEY LOSSES: RB Josh Jacobs, OL Jermaine Eluemunor, CB Amik Robertson, WR Hunter Renfrow, OL Greg Van Roten, DE Jerry Tillery, DT Bilal Nichols, FB Jakob Johnson.
STRENGTHS: The Raiders have the talent to field one of the NFL’s top defensive lines. Crosby and Malcolm Koonce are coming off career highs in sacks, the latter making all six of his eight over the final four games. Wilkins comes over from Miami, where he also had a career high in sacks with nine. This line has the opportunity to not only disrupt opposing offensive passing attacks, but take pressure off a secondary still facing important questions.
WEAKNESSES: Can Las Vegas get the job done at quarterback? That’s the question that hung over the offseason and training camp and hasn’t gone away with the season about to begin. It’s up to Minshew — and perhaps O’Connell if he gets another shot — to calm such concerns. If they don’t, the Raiders almost certainly will be in the market for a quarterback next offseason. They might be shopping for one anyway.
CAMP DEVELOPMENT: The quarterback competition was the biggest question, but not the only one. There also was expected competition between Jakorian Bennett and Brandon Facyson for a vacant cornerback spot. Bennett likely would have won the job anyway, but an injury to Facyson ended any drama. Tucker also was the favorite to nail down the third wide receiver spot, which he did with an excellent camp. Thayer Munford is trying to hold off Glaze at right tackle, and that’s a competition that is still worth monitoring.
FANTASY PLAYER TO WATCH: Adams remains an elite receiver who should again put up big numbers, but there are potential red flags. He is 31 and last season averaged 11.1 yards per catch, his lowest since his second season in 2015. Plus, can either Minshew or O’Connell effectively get him the ball? But the Raiders have other playmakers that could make it difficult for defenses to double team Adams.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Win Super Bowl: 100-1. Over/under wins: 6 1/2.
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