LAS VEGAS RAIDERS 2021 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

Jon Gruden was wooed out of the Monday Night Football booth three seasons ago to the tune of a reported 10-year, $100 million contract with the Las Vegas (then Oakland) Raiders. Since then the team has gone 19-29, with its best campaign coming last year when they finished 8-8. By my math, the Raiders have paid Gruden nearly $1.6 million a victory. Money well spent.

There is no more excuses for Las Vegas this season. Gruden has enjoyed all the time he needs to build “his team” and, even though the Raiders happen to be in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs, they need to make the playoffs this year or Gruden should be sent back to the booth.

There’s an outside chance Las Vegas can find itself in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes and he would certainly make a difference, but Derek Carr isn’t the problem here. Frankly, he’s the best quarterback Gruden has ever had under center as a head coach and 10 games under .500 is the best he’s done with him. Mark Davis, if his haircut is any indication, is a man willing to put up with a lot. But getting jumped by the Los Angeles Chargers and their first year coach Brandon Staley in the AFC West standings and Wild Card race shouldn’t be one of them.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Last season: 8-8, 2^nd place AFC West

2021 odds: over 7 wins -115, under 7 wins -115

2021 NFL Draft: Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama – Round 1, Trevon Moehrig, Safety, TCU – Round 2, Malcolm Koonce, LB, Buffalo – Round 3, Dvine Deablo, Safety, Virginia Tech – Round 3, Tyree Gillespie, Safety, Missouri – Round 4, Nate Hobbs, CB, Illinois – Round 5, Jimmy Morrissey, C, Pittsburgh – Round 7

UDFAs: Dairus Stills, DT – Washington, Dillon Stoner, WR – Oklahoma State, Max Richardson, LB – Boston College, Trey Ragas, RB – Louisiana, Devery Hamilton, OT – Duke, D.J. Turner, WR – Pittsburgh, Garrett Groshek, RB- Wisconsin, T.J. Morrison, DB – Stony Brook

Acquisitions: Yannick Ngakoue, Edge – Free Agent, Casey Hayward, CB – Free Agent, Nick Martin, C – Free Agent, John Brown, WR – Free Agent, Kenyan Drake, RB – Free Agent, Solomon Thomas, DL – Free Agent, Quinton Jefferson, DL – Free Agent, Willie Snead, WR – Free Agent, Karl Joseph, Safety – Free Agent, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB – Free Agent, De’Vane Bausby, CB – Free Agent, Rasul Douglas, CB – Free Agent, Matt Dickerson, DL – Free Agent

Key Losses: Trent Brown – RT, Rodney Hudson – C, Tyrell Williams – WR, Gabe Jackson – RG, Lamarcus Joyner – Safety, Maliek Collins – DL, Jason Witten – TE, Jeff Heath – Safety, Takkarist McKinley – Edge, Erik Harris – Safety, Raekwon McMillan – LB, Devontae Booker – RB, Vic Beasley – Edge, Arden Key – DL, Maurice Hurst – DL, D.J. Killings – CB

PRESUMED STARTERS

QB: Derek Carr

RB: Josh Jacobs

WR: Henry Ruggs III

WR: Bryan Edwards

WR: John Brown

TE: Darren Waller

LT: Kolton Miller

LG: Richie Incognito

C: Andre James

RG: Dencelle Good

RT: Alex Leatherwood

LDE: Clelin Ferrell

LDT: Quinton Jefferson

RDT: Johnathan Hankins

RDE: Yannick Ngakoue

OLB: Cory Littleton

MLB: Nick Kwiatkoski

OLB: Nicholas Morrow

CB: Casey Hayward

CB: Trayon Mullen

SS: Johnathan Abram

FS: Trevon Moehrig

K: Daniel Carlson

P: A.J. Cole

FORECAST

The Raiders face a murderer’s row in the first five games of the season, playing three playoff teams (the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears), the Los Angeles Chargers and the Miami Dolphins, who won 10 games in 2020. They do get the Dolphins and Ravens at home, which should matter, but the game at the Chargers could loom large and, if Las Vegas is embarrassed, Gruden might want to dust off his old Fired Football Coaches Association visor.

Right now, the Raiders’ biggest obstacle to the Wild Card is the Chargers, but if the Denver Broncos pull off a preseason trade for Aaron Rodgers, everything flips as they would all but be guaranteed a Wild Card spot if at worst.

Either way, there is no room for error for Las Vegas this season. And they need to open 3-2 in those first five games or they could be in real trouble.

Final Record Prediction: 10-7, possible AFC Wild Card

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