Raiders Season Review and Outlook

by chiapet | 7 years ago | 0 Comments

     Here we are again in the offseason. Once again, the Raiders have lost in the first round of the playoffs after an 11-5 season. This seems to be a recurring theme this cycle for the Oakland Raiders aside from the first season when they went 4-12. There were many similarities for this Oakland team compared to last season. The offense was once again stagnant in the passing game and they were carried by their defense. The defense adopted a bend, but don’t break mentality this season. They were 7th in points allowed and allowed more yards this season than they were used to. They were 13th in yards allowed.

       Amari Cooper had himself a decent, yet quiet year with 62 receptions for 1622 yards and 8 touchdowns. He missed the pro bowl for the first time this cycle but was able to play in the playoffs unlike last season when he got injured in week 17. Marshawn Lynch once again had a dominant year as he finished with exactly 1000 yards 16 touchdowns. The rookies on offense also preformed pretty well. Hingle McCringleberry had 43 receptions for 749 yards and 4 touchdowns. Keiwone Wilkinson ran for 332 yards but scored 7 touchdowns as a change of pace back in this offense. In terms of passing, Derek Carr threw for 2700 yards, but went down with an injury for 5 weeks during the season. Connor Cook was his relief and he threw for 1223 yards, throwing 8 touchdowns and 7 picks. Carr threw for 16 touchdowns and 10 picks. The passing offense is something that the Raiders will need to be working on in the offseason.

       The Raiders were once again phenomenal on defense. They were 13th in yards allowed and 7th in points allowed. Star MLB, David Walker, led the team in tackles with 93 and also lead the team in forced fumbles with 4. Aldon Smith also had 4 forced fumbles on the year. Speaking of Aldon Smith, he made his second pro bowl this season along with his counterpart on the other side of defensive line, Khalil Mack. This pass rush tandem was a force to be reckoned with this season, as they totaled 36 sacks combined. Gareon Conley also emerged as the number one corner on the Raiders roster this season. 

     The Raiders will be looking ahead to the free agency and the draft as they will have some spots to fill on their roster. Bruce Irvin will be testing out free agency along with Rodney Hudson. Janikowski announced his retirement, so the Raiders will be in the market for kicker this offseason. The Raiders are going to need to find themselves another stud offensive lineman and a playmaker at the linebacker position. The Raiders have some prospects that they are eyeing in the draft, and who's to say that they aren't open to trading in order to fill those positions.

     The Raiders will be looking to have another great year this upcoming season. This time, they want to win some playoff games though. The expectations for this team will be to win a super bowl this upcoming season.