The 2020 season is a big one for the Raiders. Not only are they moving to Las Vegas to play in a brand new stadium, but they are in a pivotal spot in the third year of Jon Gruden’s rebuild. After making a step forward in 2019, this is a team that appears to be ready to compete for a playoff spot in the AFC.
However, not everyone is convinced the Raiders are quite ready for showtime. In a recent article by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the Raiders finished at No. 18 in his latest power rankings. Here is a snippet of Farrar’s thoughts on the Raiders entering the 2020 season.
Grabbing Alabama speed receiver Henry Ruggs III in the first round to add to Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfew, and prolific tight end Darren Waller makes this the most complete passing game Gruden’s had in a long time. But if the Raiders are to compile a winning record for the first time in Gruden’s new tenure, it’s the defense — fortified wisely by the draft and free agency over the last two years by general manager Mike Mayock — that will finally have to turn a dividend.
Farrar is right in that the only way the Raiders can really make the next step as a franchise is if the defense can play at an adequate level. In Gruden’s two years with the Raiders, his defense has allowed an average of nearly 28 points per game.
While the offense can improve, as well, it’s the defense that has held them back from winning more games. The defense doesn’t need to be dominant for the Raiders to get back into the playoffs. Instead, they just need to be near league average in order to give themselves a shot.
If the Raiders can improve their defense and there is no reason to expect them not to, this is a team that should dramatically rise up power ranking lists as the season goes on. This is too talented of a team not to be ranked inside the top-16 squads in the NFL.
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