Las Vegas Raider Fans, I Feel Genuinely Sorry For You Guys
Look, I get it. There are a lot of other NFL franchises in way worse situations as of now, and this may seem I’m just picking on the Raiders at this point. Yet, what fun is writing an article about how the Detroit Lions or Houston Texans stink, right? Jokes aside, the Raiders are actually in a horrendous spot when considering the next decade in the NFL which is exactly why I feel sorry for the Las Vegas Raider fanbase.
For starters, they just got blessed with playing in the same division as two of the quarterbacks that are about to dominate the NFL for a very long time. As if playing the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes twice a year wasn’t enough, the Los Angeles Chargers found themselves a star in Justin Herbert. That’s a guaranteed 4 games every SINGLE year for who knows how long, against two elite quarterbacks that can single-handedly win games. Yes, you heard me. Justin Herbert is elite and if you don’t think so yet then you most definitely will after this season.
Moving on from the two most obvious threats in the Chiefs and the Chargers, the Denver Broncos have sneakily put together a squad. If you haven’t noticed, they have a legitimate case for the best defense in the league and in my opinion boast the best secondary in the NFL with a safety tandem of Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson as well as cornerbacks including Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, and rookie, Patrick Surtain II, who has already received high praise. Couple that with edge rushers Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and that’s a defense I wouldn’t want to face twice a year. Now, the Broncos are obviously missing a big piece with no real threat at quarterback, unless Drew Lock has a Josh Allen type breakout season. However, if they figure that out sometime in the near future the Raiders would probably become the worst team by far in the division. As for this next season, the Broncos have a chance to be like the Indianapolis Colts of last season, so don’t sleep on them.
I wouldn’t feel as bad for the Las Vegas Raider fanbase if their team was elite. But, it’s not. Whether you think Derek Carr stinks, or he’s underrated, or that he’s somehow due for a fantasy breakout season, at the end of the day its agreeable that he is good enough to win games, but he isn’t in the top tier of quarterbacks. Carr can be successful with the right pieces around him but those pieces just aren’t there. Their defense is still below average, their offensive weapons besides Darren Waller are horrendous, and the management has looked to be incompetent.
The chance that the Raiders tear everything down and rebuilds within the next few years seems bleak, so they are likely stuck in this circle of mediocrity that they’ve already been in for a while. Take into consideration that they have to try and figure out how to stop Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert for the next decade or so, as well as try to score against an incredibly talented, young defense in the Denver Broncos, and hopefully you can see why I’m feeling so empathetic towards the Las Vegas Raider fanbase. I wouldn’t be surprised if they finished at the bottom of their division this year, but knowing the Raiders, they’ll probably find a way to go 8-8 and avoid that fate.
