5 reasons Raiders can win the Super Bowl this year

4. Quarterback  competition

To say that Derek Carr has failed to live up to the potential that many draft scouts saw in him when he was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft may be an understatement. But, the sixth-year veteran was actually pretty good, at least statistically, in 2019. At season’s end, he’d amassed over 4,000 yards passing and a respectable 21-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

There are two reasons for the team’s offensive struggles. First, the pass catchers on the team have not been very good, though the emergence of tight end Darren Waller certainly helps. Second, Carr has not been pushed to excel from a viable backup quarterback. To the former point, the team invested three picks in the draft’s first three rounds into the wide receiver position, including first-round pick Henry Ruggs III. To the latter point, the team signed former Tennessee Titans first-round pick and veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota to compete for the starting job this season.

Both of those investments should result in the best version of Carr that the team has seen, maybe ever, but certainly in the second Jon Gruden era with the franchise. If that is true, there is enough talent on this team to compete with the upper echelons of the conference, and the NFL.

Confident quarterback play will make a major difference for Las Vegas and could help the team make a run all the way to Tampa for Super Bowl LV. A lot will have to go right for the team to win it all, but the quarterback could make all the difference in the world.