The Oakland Raiders finished their 2017 season with a 6 and 10 record, a massive step back from the 12 win season in 2016. And with the season over but still lots of time before free agency starts, now is the time to reflect on that painful season and how it all went down. First up is taking a look back at my game by game predictions to see how I did.
@ Tennessee - WIN
CORRECT. This was a hard fought game and Oakland managed to come away with a win over an eventual playoff team in the Tennessee Titans. Though it wasn’t dominant, it was a solid win and gave fans reason to believe the offseason hype was beginning to come to fruition.
vs. New York Jets - WIN
CORRECT. This was the moment when any Raiders fans who hadn’t bought into the offseason hype were standing in line to make the purchase. It was the first time in a long time that Oakland delivered a dominant, blowout win. The Raiders looked like a team ready to take the next step and become a power house in the NFL.
@ Washington - LOSS
CORRECT. And this is when it all came tumbling down. Oakland was humiliated on national television as they were blown out by Washington while never really even showing up. It was a rude awakening and one that resulted in a steep and painful fall from grace.
@ Denver - LOSS
CORRECT. So far, I have gotten all of my predictions correct as the Raiders lost to a hapless Denver team in the second of what would turn out to be four game skid. By the end of the year, Oakland would be ahead of Denver in the standings, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that would happen when they lost the first of their two engagements.
vs Baltimore - LOSS
CORRECT. Without Derek Carr, who was nursing a broken back, Oakland actually came fairly close to winning this game, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I remain at 100% on my predictions but that is about to turn south as I get more positive about a team that in reality, only got more negative.
vs Los Angeles Chargers - WIN
INCORRECT. I really thought Oakland would handle the Chargers twice this season and they came very, very close to winning their first encounter, losing by only a point. But even though the game was close, Oakland did not look very close to where they wanted to be. It was an ugly game where neither team looked good. Oakland just looked a little worse.
vs Kansas City - WIN
CORRECT. And then there was hope. After losing four in a row and with Kansas City looking like one of the better teams in the AFC, things looked dreadful for Oakland. But Derek Carr had his best game of the season and the offense looked like the high flying unit of 2016. They only won by a point but it was a sweet, sweet win nonetheless.
@ Buffalo - WIN
INCORRECT. When the game started, it looked like the team we saw against the Chiefs was there to stay. But then Todd Downing and crew pulled back and went into the conservative offense we grew to hate and Oakland lose a game that by all means they should have won.
@Miami - WIN
CORRECT. The game when the hapless Raiders beat the hapless Dolphins in a contest to see who wanted to win less. Some saw this as a turning point when Oakland would start to get back on the winning track. In reality, it was a blip on the radar of mediocrity.
vs New England (Mexico City Game) - LOSS
CORRECT. Oh boy. I don’t think we need to re-live this one. Ouch.
vs. Denver - WIN
CORRECT. Oakland bounced back after getting embarrassed by the Patriots. It was a solid win over a very bad team, but it was a win, so there’s that.
vs. New York Giants - LOSS
INCORRECT. First of all, I don’t know what I was thinking in calling this one a loss. But my oh my, did the Raiders actually win two in a row? They did, but fear not, the walls will come crashing down to reveal a return to reality soon enough.
@ Kansas City - LOSS
CORRECT. And oh what a loss it was. In their biggest game of the year, a game where they had a chance to not only get back into the playoff hunt, but take a big step towards winning the AFC West, Oakland was a complete and utter no show. It was one of the most upsetting parts of a season full of disappointment.
vs. Dallas - LOSS
CORRECT. Dallas also had a very underwhelming season after a very promising year just one season earlier. But Dallas was still a lot better than Oakland even in a disappointing year.
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