5 stories to follow from the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 NFL Season

The Las Vegas Raiders have started down the long road to rebuilding in a peculiar way, as they also look to keep up with the NFL’s most competitive division this season. Will they have enough to contend with this roster or will they be the worst team in the AFC West this year? Here are the 5 stories to follow from the Raiders before the start of the 2022 NFL Season.

1. Josh McDaniels as new head coach

It is no surprise to anyone that Josh McDaniels had so many prejudices since he came to the team at the beginning of this year, since his fame as a head coach precedes him; Unlike his job as offensive coordinator, where he lasted several years with the Patriots through two different stages, in reality, as head coach he has barely lasted months in Denver, even a few hours in Indianapolis, even resigning before of its presentation in 2018.

As volatile as he is, at the first loss or complication that comes his way, alarm bells could well go off in Las Vegas, no matter how much they insist that this time it will be different.

The Raiders have at least given him the confidence, talent and other quirks necessary to clear all doubt, so it shouldn’t take longer than this season to definitely begin to see him as that spiritual successor to the controversial, but talented, HC Bill Belichick, that they have always sold us, or simply confirm once and for all that it is just a bad imitation of him, the product of a rather unsuccessful tree of trainers.

2. Possible great season for Derek Carr

QB Derek Carr may well be one of the most underrated players in the AFC and possibly even the NFL. But one thing is our confidence in him, and another, that of his coaches to date, which has really been much lower.

Let’s face it, it’s kind of amazing seeing that 1) Carr managed to get close to 5,000 passing yards with a poor offense in 2021 (4,804 total) and 2) He’s a most reliable quarterback in the fourth quarter with the fourth most number of returns since 2015. That is to say, no matter how much he is criticized on several occasions, he easily exceeds the average.

Even with the doubts in the McDaniels staff, we must recognize that they have observed this and have not hesitated to invest to get more out of it, being consistent with their statements from the beginning about their quarterback. And so, we see that not only have they brought him one more receiver, but that he has been one of the best in recent years and a great friend of his: Davante Adams, who signed contract with the team for 5 years and 141.25 million dollars.

Throw in TE Darren Waller and WR Hunter Renfrow, and you have a troubling combination for your opponents that could change the general perception of Carr in the process.

3. The Raiders’ potent receiving corps

With Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, this is undoubtedly the team’s strength par excellence, since it is not only the talent, but the variety that they have with it.

Additionally, Adams will surely give better opportunities to his teammates, since without a doubt his ability cannot be ignored, since he has 238 receptions, 2,927 yards and 29 TDs in the last two seasons. This way, players like Waller can get back to over 1,000+ passing yards and put their unproductive last season behind them.

4. Great pair of pass rushers

One of the most outstanding attributes of the defense on this occasion is precisely the tandem that DE Maxx Crosby will form along with LB Chandler Jones, who said that he precisely chose to sign with the Raiders to being able to play with the first.

While age is a hard factor to ignore, we also can’t help but believe they still have a couple of good seasons left in the picture: Jones is coming off 10-plus sacks for the seventh time in his career. For his part, Crosby made it to the Pro Bowl after adding eight sacks and 30 QB hits, leading the team’s late-year resurgence to enter the playoffs at the last minute.

Like other defensive combos in the same division, it’s hard not to consider the huge impact they’ll have on this defense over the next few months, as they could prove to be instrumental in its bigger aspirations.

5. Rematches expected down the road for the Raiders

This year not only is the expected duel student vs. between Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick, but also that Chandler Jones will be able to face his old team, the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he added 71.5 sacks in six seasons. This rematch won’t be long in coming to us, as the game settled for Week 2, right at the start of the campaign. Which, unfortunately, also means we won’t be seeing WR DeAndre Hopkins for this matchup due to his well-known suspension.

Don’t miss the 5 stories to follow in Season 2022 from other teams like the following: