Three years into the process, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden still is grinding away, looking for players, plays and schemes that can help his team close the gap on the Kansas City Chiefs. A lot has changed from the Raiders’ perspective, including darn near two roster overhauls, yet the results remain the same. The Raiders
Jon Gruden seemingly making progress toward closing gap between Raiders and Chiefs
Huge QB gap, in terms of Mahomes vs. Carr. Until that gap is closed with an upgrade to Carr, Chiefs will likely win the division annually.
Nonetheless, defense needs to be at least slightly competent to slow the Chiefs. The Chiefs seemingly could score at will vs the Raiders. Raiders defense is improved but not sure how much.
Raiders will be competing for wild card spots until they can find an elite QB that can go toe to toe with Mahomes and a defense that is at least average.
Agreed. To that point, the same issue exists for the Chargers and Broncos with Tyrod Taylor/Justin Herbert and Drew Lock, respectively. Finding a quarterback that can hang with Patrick Mahomes is an ongoing issue for a lot of teams. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have decided that Derek Carr is the best they can do for now, with the hope that surrounding him with more weapons and bolstering the defense can offset any and all of Carr’s shortcomings.
Improvements have been made on both sides of the ball. Quite possibly STs also.
Expectation are up too.
Every other team is saying the same thing, we got better and we need more W’s. Even the team that won the SB.
I am a little concerned that the focus is on matching up with the Chiefs when the Broncos are improving as well. The Broncos definitely think they have their guy in Drew Lock. If true, they may be formidable. Keep in mind, prior to the Chiefs run, the Broncos were the team to beat for several years there. Also, the dynamics of the Chiefs will change when they have to pay Mahomes which may bring them down to earth a bit.
Once again, the offense is going to have to meet expectations for the team to have any chance. Something it has not done often.
Hopefully, the offensive side of the ball won’t need as much attention in the next couple of years and the team can try to build a dominant defense.
Good point, Michelle, about being wary of the Broncos. Happy Mother’s Day, by the way, if you have children, Michelle. That goes out to all the mothers on this special day. Enjoy.
John Elway and Vic Fangio have a limited sample size from with which to judge quarterback Drew Lock — he started five games last season. But, if Lock turns out to be their franchise quarterback, then, yes, the Broncos are on the verge of being a team to be reckoned with. Same goes for the Chargers, if either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert proves an upgrade over Philip Rivers.
Thanks, Cork!!
It may be a limited sample size, but Andy Reid had a limited sample size with Mahomes before trading Alex Smith.