Last week’s battle between the Oakland Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings was a contest between the two teams that arguably won NFL Draft night more than any other. Hence we expected both the Vikings and the Raiders to be among the league’s most improved teams in the NFL this season.
Thus far, it’s been true. The Vikings are 7-2 and in first place in the NFC North following their decisive triumph in Oakland. The Raiders are 4-5, and in second place in a very weak AFC West.
Although below .500, it’s still a marked improvement up from where this once proud franchise has been lately. The Oakland Raiders haven’t won a division title or finished above since 2002. In those past 13 years, they’ve managed just two 8-8 seasons (2010, 2011). Everything else has been brutal in the black hole during this past decade and change.
That is changing this season though. Quarterback Derek Carr is for real. Khalil Mack is a cornerstone. Amari Cooper looks well on his way to becoming one. A playoff berth this season might or might not be a stretch, but 2015 is all about just reaching contention.
Said Amy Trask, analyst on CBS Sports Network and former Oakland Raiders CEO: “The injury fairy has looked incredibly kind on the Oakland Raiders.”
Trask made the observation on her Sunday pregame show adding “Of all the teams contending at this point, Oakland is by far the healthiest.”
It should also be noted that “The Princess of Darkness,” the nickname once bestowed upon Trask by Raider nation, is one of the most underrated nicknames in NFL history.
Fellow CBS panelist Chris Simms offered this:
“The Oakland Raiders are not going to be physically overpowered by any team in football. They are very big up front on both the offensive and defensive line. And I think we all have to get used to saying that Derek Carr is one of the Top-10 quarterbacks in football. Along with Cooper and Crabtree, they can be explosive in the pass game. That is a team I would not want to mess with in the playoffs.”
Remember Simms said this before the Oakland Raiders lost on Sunday. Still one result against a very good opponent doesn’t negate all the progress the silver and black have shown in 2015.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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