5 AFC West storylines to watch in the 2018 season

By Cody Rivera | Aug 27, 2018

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders looks on from the sidelines against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 10: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders looks on from the sidelines against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. The Raiders could surprise people

Last year’s 6-10 campaign was disappointing, but let’s not forget that the Raiders went 12-4 and made the playoffs in 2016. Quarterback Derek Carr, who was never quite 100 percent all year, slumped a little bit, but still threw 22 touchdowns opposed to 13 interceptions. If he gets back to form in 2018, and he should, the Raiders should be right back on the map.

Carr has been around for a few years, but other than him, there are a lot of changes in Oakland heading into this season. Obviously the big change is head coach Jon Gruden. Once he arrived, he brought a whole new coaching staff with him. One of Gruden’s main priorities this season was making sure Carr has the tools to get back to playing at an MVP level.

And now, Carr certainly has plenty of weapons to play with. The Raiders brought in wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who has spent his entire career snagging passes from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Nelson is 33 years old, but his prime isn’t quite over yet. He’ll do wonders for Carr this season, and alongside him are also Amari Cooper and Martavis Bryant. There will certainly be no shortage of targets for Carr.

As far as the running game goes, well, Oakland has arguably the most powerful back in the game in Marshawn Lynch, the hometown kid. Though he is 32, Lynch can still run as well as anyone and he will get more than his fair share of carries. As usual, he will probably be a work horse this year.

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It almost seems as if this Oakland offense has been a little under-hyped to this point, but it has potential to do some serious damage in 2018. As long as the defense holds up, the Raiders have a chance to surprise a lot of people. Nobody is really including them in the Super Bowl conversation, but they should be there.