The Raiders have not finished last in the AFC West since the 2018 season, which was the first year in which Jon Gruden returned to the team. The Raiders went 4-12 that year, finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NFL.
But since then, they’ve done a good job of avoiding the bottom of the AFC West. They have finished second in the division in three of the past four seasons. But will this be the year they finish last in the division?
In a recent article by Connor Orr of SI, he wrote about the AFC West heading into the division. He believes the Raiders will avoid finishing fourth and could surprise some in the AFC. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about Las Vegas heading into the year:
Surprisingly scrappy but without a defined answer at quarterback, this team will be fun, inconsistent and decidedly old school. As a subprediction, assistant head coach Marvin Lewis will reenergize his candidacy for both head coaching jobs and general manager jobs, for which I had always thought he’d be wonderfully suited.
The Raiders have done a good job of winning games in their division, especially against the Broncos and the Chargers. If that can keep up, they’ll be just fine in 2024. Look for the Raiders to finish as the second or third-best team in the AFC West again this season.
