New city. New stadium. Same Gruden. How will the Raiders perform in their first season in Vegas?
Welcome to Sin City. For the first time, Las Vegas will host their own football team for 8 games. Rough luck in regards to timing, as it appears no fans will be able to help welcome the team.
Regardless, Jon Gruden brings his squad to Vegas after a disappointing finish to 2019. The Raiders were in the playoff hunt for the majority of last season. But a late season collapse led to them once again missing out on January football.
Derek Carr enters his 7th season as starting QB for the Raiders, and is looking at a potential make or break season. Carr has received some flack for not being able to play up to his 2016 campaign. Accuracy is not an issue as Carr finished last season with a 70.4 completion percentage good for 2nd in the NFL. Scoring points has been an issue, as Carr hasn’t had 25+ touchdowns since 2016.
He will have young playmakers that have potential to be great ball players. Josh Jacobs was very good in his rookie season, rushing for 1150 yards in 13 games. Henry Ruggs was the first receiver off the board in the 2020 Draft. Darren Waller broke out in 2019 as one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets, finishing with 90 catches for 1145 yards.
Another focus for the Raiders fan base, is the growing pains of their young defense. They struggled once again allowed 30+ points 5 times in 2019. This defense is made up mainly of young players such as: Trayvon Mullen, Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, and Johnathan Abram.
These players all showed promise, but will be relied on to grow into more consistent players. In Abram’s case he missed all of 2019, but will have an impact role waiting for him in 2020.
With a new era under way, let’s take a deeper look at the Raiders 2019 season, 2020 offseason, and what lies ahead in 2020.
2019 Team Ranks
| Total Offense | 11th (5819 yards) |
| Passing Offense | 9th (3926 yards) |
| Rushing Offense | 18th (1893 yards) |
| Total Defense | 19th (5677 yards allowed) |
| Passing Defense | 25th (4107 yards allowed) |
| Rushing Defense | 8th (1570 yards allowed) |
| PPG | 19.6 |
| PPG Allowed | 26.2 |
| Offensive Line Ranks | |
| PFF | 15th |
| Football Outsiders (Run Block) | 6th |
| Football Outsiders (Pass Block) | 6th |
Coaching Staff Changes
Rod Marinelli replaces Brentson Buckner as DL Coach
Offseason Additions
| Cory Littleton LB |
| Carl Nassib DE |
| Nick Kwiatkoski LB |
| Marcus Mariota QB |
| Jeff Heath SS |
| Maliek Collins DT |
| Jason Witten TE |
| Damarious Randall FS |
| Prince Amukamara CB |
| Devontae Booker RB |
| Nelson Agholor WR |
| Eric Kush G |
| Daniel Ross DT |
Offseason Losses
| Benson Mayowa DE |
| Daryl Worley CB |
| Tahir Whitehead LB |
| Karl Joseph SS |
| Mike Glennon QB |
| DeAndre Washington RB |
| Eric Tomlinson TE |
| Nick O’Leary TE |
2020 NFL Draft
| Round 1 (12) – Henry Ruggs III WR Alabama |
| Round 1 (19) – Damon Arnette CB Ohio State |
| Round 3 (80) – Lynn Bowden WR Kentucky |
| Round 3 (81) – Bryan Edwards WR South Carolina |
| Round 3 (100) – Tanner Muse S Clemson |
| Round 4 (109) – John Simpson G Clemson |
| Round 4 (139) – Amik Robertson CB Louisiana Tech |
2020 Schedule with record vs opponents since 2017
| Week 1 – at Carolina Panthers 1 PM ET CBS | 0-0 |
| Week 2 – vs New Orleans Saints 8:15 PM ET ESPN (MNF) | 0-0 |
| Week 3 – at New England Patriots 1 PM ET CBS | 0-1 |
| Week 4 – vs Buffalo Bills 4:25 PM ET CBS | 0-1 |
| Week 5 – at Kansas City Chiefs 1 PM ET CBS | 1-5 |
| Week 6 – BYE | |
| Week 7 – vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8:20 PM ET NBC (SNF) | 0-0 |
| Week 8 – at Cleveland Browns 1 PM ET FOX | 1-0 |
| Week 9 – at Los Angeles Chargers 4:05 PM ET FOX | 2-4 |
| Week 10 – vs Denver Broncos 4:05 PM ET CBS | 3-3 |
| Week 11 – vs Kansas City Chiefs 8:20 PM ET NBC (SNF) | 1-5 |
| Week 12 – at Atlanta Falcons 1 PM ET CBS | 0-0 |
| Week 13 – at New York Jets 1 PM ET CBS | 1-1 |
| Week 14 – vs Indianapolis Colts 4:05 PM ET CBS | 1-1 |
| Week 15 – vs Los Angeles Chargers 8:20 PM ET FOX (TNF) | 2-4 |
| Week 16 – vs Miami Dolphins TBD | 1-1 |
| Week 17 – at Denver Broncos 4:25 PM ET CBS | 3-3 |
Miscellaneous Notes
| First season in Vegas |
| Went 1-6 in their last 7 games in 2019 |
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Derek Carr has had 4000+ passing yards in back to back seasons
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Burning Question: Is Derek Carr the answer in Vegas?
Bottom Line: The foundation of the Las Vegas Raiders is very strong. They are building the team through the draft, while mixing in some nice free agent signings. The goal for Mike Mayock and company was to get faster in hopes to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs. They are still not there yet in my opinion, and have a pretty tough schedule this year. Love the vision in Vegas, just don’t think it pays off in 2020.
Predicted Win Range: 5-7
