The Oakland Raiders are all in on head coach and de facto GM Jon Gruden! In 2018, the AFC West-based Raiders gave Gruden a huge 10-year deal worth $100 million to restore the once proud franchise back to its former glory days.
While Year 1 of the Gruden era got off to a turmoil-filled start that was dominated by the foolish trade that sent superstar linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears and another that sent star wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys, Gruden and the Raiders are looking to take a step forward on the field and in the win column in 2019.
Whether the Raiders improve on their uninspiring record in 2018 or play some more uninspiring football this coming season remains to be seen, but there are a bunch of things you need to know about the revapmed Raiders before they take to the gridiron for the 2019 NFL regular season.
Now, let’s find out what those things are.
Oakland Raiders 2019 NFL Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 4-12 (W-L) / 6-10-0 (ATS) / 4-4-0 (Home) / 2-6-0 (Away) / 6-8-0 (Grass) / 0-2-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 6-9-1 (W-L) / 3-5-0 (Home) / 3-4-1 (Away) / 5-9-0 (Grass) / 1-0-1 (Turf) / 47.3 (Total)
Offense
- Total Yards: 336.2 / Rank 23
- Passing Yards: 234.4 / Rank 18
- Rushing Yards: 101.8 /Rank 28
- Points Scored: 18.1 / Rank 28
- Field Goal %: 84.4 / Rank 17
Oakland finished the 2018 regular season ranked 23rd in total offense, 18th in passing, 25th in rushing and a dismal 28th in scoring (18.1 ppg). To address their needs on the offensive side of the ball, Oakland signed former Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams, former Patriots tackle Trent Brown, former Chiefs offensive lineman Jordan Devey and returner/wide receiver Dwayne Harris in free agency while drafting Alabama running back Josh Jacobs with the 24th overall pick.
Defense
- Total Yards: 381.4 / Rank 26
- Passing Yards: 240.8 / Rank 19
- Rushing Yards: 140.6 /Rank 30
- Points Allowed: 29.2 / Rank 32
- Field Goal %: 83.3 / Rank 11
When it came to defense, Oakland was pretty abysmal in finishing the 2018 campaign ranked 26th overall, 19th against the pass, 30th against the run and dead last in points allowed (29.2 ppg). To address their multitude of needs on the defensive side of the ball the Raiders signed veteran safety Lamarcus Joyner, defensive taclke Johnathan Hankins, linebacker Vontaze Burfict, cornerback Nevin Lawson, safety Erik Harris, defensive end Josh Maduro, safety Curtis Riley, linebacker Brandon Marhsall and defensive end Benson Mayowa in free agency. The Raiders also drafted Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the fourth overall pick while nabbing Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram and Clemson cornerback Trayvon Mullen with the 27th overall pick and eight pick in the second round respectively.
Team Leaders- Touchdowns: Jared Cook (6)
- Rushing: Doug Martin (723)
- Passing: Derek Carr (4049)
- Receiving: Jared Cook (896)
- Sacks: Maurice Hurst Jr. (4.0)
- Interceptions: Gareon Conley (3)
Veteran tight end Jared Cook led the team in touchdowns scored and receiving yards in 2018 while running back Doug Martin rushed for a team-high 723 yards. Quarterback Derek Carr topped the 4,000-yard passing mark while completing a blistering 68.9 percent of his passes. Unfortunately, Carr was limited to just 19 TD passes while tossing 10 picks. Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. led the team with just four sacks as a rookie while cornerback Gareon Conley led the team with three interceptions in his first season in the league. More importantly, all of Oakland’s 2018 team leaders are back in 2019 except tight end Jared Cook.
Outlook
In addition to four tough AFC West division games against Kansas City and the L.A. Chargers, the Raiders also have difficult non-division contests against Minnesota, Indianapolis, Chicago, Green Bay, Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville. While Oakland addressed their passing attack this offseason, I’m not sure they did enough to upgrade their rushing attack and really, no one knows what to expect out of this team defensively in 2019. On paper, the raiders look like they should be better than they were a year ago, but their difficult schedule leads me to believe they’re going to fall short of reaching .500 this coming season. Right now, I’m thinking six or seven wins are the best the Raiders can hope for an anything beyond that will be a bonus!
To address their offseason needs, and Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram with the 27th overall pick.
There is absolutely no way that Oakland wins seven games in 2019 to top their win total odds. Make this NFL futures odds wager right now!
Prediction: 4 Wins
