The Raiders still have a lot of improving to do, and that’s a great thing
We are half way through the 2016 NFL season and we have yet to see the full potential of this Oakland Raiders team. In fact, we may not see their full potential this season. With a roster that’s made up of a lot of young players and a lot of players who haven’t been in Oakland very long, it could very easily take more than a year for everything to fit into place just right.
And that’s a really great thing when you consider that the Raiders are currently 6-2.
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With this record, things are looking pretty good for the hopes that the Raiders will finally break the playoff drought. Typically if you win 10 games, you feel pretty good about your chances of making the playoffs. At this point, the Raiders could go .500 for the rest of the season and still win 10 games. That’s right, they are that close to making the playoffs and they are doing it without playing anywhere near their full potential.
If the Raiders can continue to improve over the second half of the season, they could be playing their best football at the most opportune time. As long as the Raiders keep on logging wins, it doesn’t matter how they get it done. What matters is getting into the playoffs and how you play once you’re there.
If this was a Raiders team that was 6-2 and at their full potential, you might be concerned about their future. Sure, the team is 6-2 but if a handful of things go differently, they could easily be 4-4 or worse.
Unless you’re the New England Patriots, you have to hope that your team will be playing better in December and January than you are right now. And unlike a lot of teams who fit that description, this is a team that clearly has the potential to get a lot better.
The offense has been good but inconsistent and has the potential to be one of the best offensive units in the league. Key contributors like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Washington, Jalen Richard and Latavius Murray are all young talents who are improving all of the time. The defense has improved the past couple of weeks and had its best game by far against Tampa Bay. If they can begin to play with consistency, even if they aren’t lights out, that will be enough to beat most teams when the offense is rolling.
The Raiders are getting wins by any means necessary at this point and it’s paying off. If this team can reach even 80% of their full potential they should make the playoffs and might even win a game or two. That may seem like I’m getting ahead of myself but the fact is, this team is built around young players who are all showing both potential and production. They’re already showing improvement from week one to week eight and hopefully that will continue in the second half of the year.
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