10 bold predictions for the 2020 NFL season
By Brad Weiss
10 bold predictions for the 2020 NFL season
Raiders make playoffs in first season in Las Vegas
When Jon Gruden returned as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders after a 15-year hiatus, the expectation was that he would quickly return the franchise to the winning ways they had with him back in the early 2000s. Through the first three seasons, it has been a work in progress, but he and general manager Mike Mayock have revamped this roster, and are ready to start winning again.
In 2018, when Gruden returned, he traded away stars like Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, bringing back a plethora of first round draft picks. Those picks, combined with Mayock’s ability to make shrewd moves in free agency, have the Raiders deeper than they have been in a long time, as they look for their second playoff appearance since 2003.
Derek Carr returns for his seventh season as the team’s quarterback, and entering Year 3 under Gruden, he is fresh off a career-high in passing yards, and completed over 70 percent of his passes last year. He was able to do all of that without a true WR1, but it did help that he has an elite tight end in Darren Waller, and Josh Jacobs was a Rookie of the Year candidate at running back.
Moving into a new city and a brand new building will have Raider Nation clamoring for playoff football, and they will deliver in 2020. The defense was bolstered on all three levels, and after a three-win improvement last year, they take another step in the right direction in 2020.