The O*kland Raiders have treaded water since the magical 2016 season, fighting to stay afloat while consistently sitting at the bottom of the AFC West standings. After finishing second in 2016, the Raiders have labored at the bottom on the division. In fact, the 2016 second place finish was the Raiders’ highest finish since 2002, when they lost to current Raiders coach Jon Gruden, 48-21, in the Super Bowl. The team has finished dead last six times and third eight times.
In spite of such a long period of failure, the recent NFL Draft selections paired with Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock working the free agent wire and another year within the new Gruden system, the Raiders don’t seem to be headed for the cellar once again in 2019. Here are five reasons why the Raiders won’t finish last in the AFC West.
