Derek Carr Oakland Raiders -Twitter
5 Reasons The Oakland Raiders Win The AFC West
#5 The Kansas City Chiefs turned a bad start into a phenomenal finish to their season last year. They opened the season with a 1-5 record, losing 5 straight games, but rebounded with a 10-game winning streak, taking them into the playoffs. As great of a finish as the Chiefs had, I believe they have reached their peak. Of course, they did not have their All-Pro Running back Jamal Charles for the last 11-games. They finished 6th in the league in rushing. I do not believe Alex Smith can take this team to the promise land. With Alex Smith as the gunslinger for this franchise, they have reached their peak. You will not win with an underachieving QB.
#4 The San Diego Chargers are no GOOD! The Chargers are a struggling team at the moment and drafting number 3 overall is an accurate result of their play in 2015. They did not only have a bad 2015 season, they are struggling in key components of the game. They have not displayed a consistent rushing attack since LT was their lead back. San Diego’s defense wasn’t any better either, they ranked 27th in rush defense. Drafting Joey Bosa won’t change that ranking drastically in 2016. With a struggling defense and offense, I have no doubt the Chargers will be at the bottom of their division again.
#3 The Offseason acquisitions made by the Raiders were definitely needed. They struggled on the offensive line last season, which prompted the signing of top o-linemen Kelechi Osemele. They needed to find help for their pass rush and pass defense. The Raiders signed big cornerback Sean Smith along with ball-hawking FS Reggie Nelson and OLB Bruce Irvin. Those moves will help an offense that found its stride last season under young Stud QB Derek Carr. The Raiders have a defense that doesn’t have the same holes from the prior season.
2# The Denver Broncos‘ defense is not the same!!!! The team is not the same on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. They lost some key pieces in the likes of Peyton Manning (Retirement), Malik Jackson (Jacksonville Jaguars), Danny Trevathan (Chicago Bears), Evan Mathis ( Arizona Cardinals), and Brock Osweiler (Houston Texans). No matter what the network experts convince you to believe, those pieces are important to the team. Trevathan and Jackson both were huge in the run game, taking pressure of the edge defenders Ware/Miller. Ware and Miller were hidden because of the big linemen Jackson and Derek Wolfe, with Jackson out of town, they will be challenged. Denver also has a rookie QB or Mark Sanchez aka “The Butt Fumbler”!! Without an established quality QB, this season will be a true test to Elway’s success.
#1 For Oakland’s potential, the sky is the limit. The young team split the series with the now defending champions the Denver Broncos last season. Honestly, they were close to beating the champs twice last season. Oakland’s offense is growing especially with the stud duo of Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Kelechi will help protect Carr and open holes for Latavius Murray and new running back DeAndre Washington. This just maybe the year the Oakland Raiders have been waiting for, to take their division by storm!!!
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