How the Raiders Will Break the Gruden Curse
The Oakland Raiders (not the Las Vegas Raiders yet) will be your 2017 AFC Champions! This will be the team’s first Super Bowl appearance since the 2002 season when Al Davis famously traded head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to only be matched against him in a devastating Super Bowl loss. This prediction is largely predicated on Derek Carr having a strong recovery from the broken ankle he sustained in week 16 of last season. If he plays as well as last year, this high-octane offense, bolstered by five-time Pro-Bowl power back Marshawn Lynch, will lead the Raiders faithful to the promised land.
The Raiders will reach the Super Bowl, but they will have to do it the hard way. The AFC West is the most competitive division in football with each team’s strength of schedule ranking as the four toughest in the league. The Raiders will have to play the always competitive Chiefs and Broncos, as well as six non-division teams that have a realistic shot of making the playoffs – the Titans, Redskins, Dolphins, Patriots, Giants and Cowboys in that order. This is a large mountain to summit but the Raiders prolific offense will lead them to an 11-5 record that will tie the Chiefs at the top of the division for the second year in a row. Their 4-2 divisional record will out edge the Chiefs to make the Raiders the 2017 AFC West champions!
The Raiders are a head above the competition in the AFC except for three teams – the Chiefs, Steelers, and Patriots. The Patriots will likely be the one seed with the Steelers finishing second, largely because both teams have much easier schedules than Oakland. The Raiders will easily win their wild card matchup against the six seed, and they will play against the Steelers in the divisional round. The Steelers week off combined with their non-competitive schedule will give the Raiders a dominant win heading to the AFC championship. Oakland will play a shootout against the Patriots where Marshawn Lynch will prove he is the best running back in the league and carry the team to the Super Bowl.
Although the Raiders will reach the Super Bowl, their lack of playmakers on defense will not stop Pete Carroll’s Seahawks from beating them 26-24.