The Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to get back in the mix inside the AFC, but their projected win total of 6.5 doesn’t inspire much confidence.
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Las Vegas Raiders Over/Under 6.5 Wins (Over -118, Under -104)The Raiders finished slightly above the basement in the AFC West in 2022-23 with a 6-11 record. After underachieving last year, the Raiders opted for a change at quarterback, moving on from Derek Carr and bringing in Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco is an organization that’s predominately been much more well-run than Las Vegas, meaning it’ll be interesting to see how Garoppolo adjusts. There are a lot of qualities to like that he brings to the table, but there are some whispers about his overall health.
What Garoppolo will have going for him immediately in Las Vegas is that he has an elite wide receiver in Davante Adams to throw the football to. Adams is coming off catching 14 touchdown passes in his debut season with the Raiders, the second-highest total of his career. If Garoppolo and Adams can find immediate chemistry, that bodes well for an offense with running back Josh Jacobs, who led the league on the ground last year with 1,653 rushing yards. With these nice pieces on offense, it’s evident that if Las Vegas is going to succeed this year, the offense will have to take them there.
Whether or not the Raiders will succeed in 2023-24 boils down to whether their defense can take a big step. The secondary has been a significant issue for the Raiders and one of the big reasons they struggled to win last year. Having Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, and rookie Tyree Wilson means the Raiders should have no issue getting to the quarterback. It remains to be seen whether they can limit other teams through the air.
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Despite coming off a poor season, the schedule entering 2023-24 for the Raiders isn’t favorable. Vegas is listed with the second-hardest schedule. As a result, it isn’t easy to project a lot of positivity from Las Vegas. The AFC West should be much better this season, so the Raiders will have their work cut out for them. There are still some overall bright spots about this team and its direction, but we’re not expecting much from them in 2023-24.
Verdict: Under 6.5 wins (-104)
All odds courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.
