Raiders game-by-game, 2017 season record prediction

The season is upon us, which means it’s now time to make a season prediction. It’s one of the tougher things to do due to how much parity there is in the NFL.

Week 1 at Tennessee Titans

2016 record: 9-7

Result: L (0-1)

For the third straight season the Raiders head to Tennessee to face the Titans. The Raiders won the first two meetings, both within one score. The Titans have improved with another year under Marcus Mariota’s belt. The Raiders were part of their slow start last season, but they had put things together by midseason, went 5-2 to finish out the season including wins over the Packers, Broncos, Chiefs, and Texans to finish 9-7.

The Titans had been bulking up on the defensive side and this offseason focused on adding receiving weapons, signing Eric Decker and drafting Corey Davis. They already had one of the best tight ends in the league in Delanie Walker along with the bruising duo at running back of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. Meanwhile the Raiders will likely be without their top two draft picks and are starting a rookie fifth round pick at middle linebacker and Cory James’s status at the other linebacker spot in serious doubt.

Week 2 vs New York Jets

2016 record: 5-11

Result: W (1-1)

The Raiders will return to Oakland, in Marshawn Lynch’s regular season home debut and will easily trounce the tanking Jets.

Week 3 at Washington

2016 record: 8-7-1

Result: W (2-1)

This one won’t be easy, but the Raiders should pull it out. It’s an east coast trip and they’ll be facing Terrelle Pryor at receiver, likely looking for some revenge and with a viable quarterback throwing him the ball. Washington did what they have long been known to do and added a bunch of players via free agency. But if history tells us anything, the result will also be what they always do; disappoint. They finished last season going 2-5. While they had the league’s third ranked offense in yards, they were 12th in points and their defense was among the worst in the league.

Week 4 at Denver Broncos

2016 record: 9-7

Result: W (3-1)

Had Derek Carr not been lost to injury in week 16 last season, the Raiders likely would’ve swept the Broncos. Even with that gifted win, the Broncos missed the playoffs. Their offense is still terrible and their defense is not as elite as it once was. Meanwhile the Raiders added weapons to an already potent offense to exploit that.

Week 5 vs Baltimore Ravens

2016 record: 8-8

Result: W (4-1)

Another Raiders win last season in a thriller that came right down to the end. I don’t expect it will require as much heroics to get out ahead of the Ravens this time.

Week 6 vs Los Angeles Chargers

2016 record: 5-11

Result: L (4-2)

After three straight wins for the Raiders, the Chargers come up and bite them. I expect the Chargers will do that to a few teams this year after a season in which they were ridiculously depleted by injuries.

Week 7 vs Kansas City Chiefs

2016 record: 12-4

Result: W (5-2)

The Raiders do some biting back of their own. They take out the Chiefs for the first time since Derek Carr’s first win as a pro in 2014. Even while both teams were playing great last season, the Chiefs got the better of the Raiders. It’s a bit of monkey on Carr’s back which I expect him to shake with the help of some of his friends.

Week 8 at Buffalo Bills

2016 record: 7-9

Result: W (6-2)

Late last season the Raiders came back from being down 24-9 in the third quarter to run away with the win 38-24. It started the Bills tumble as they would lose four of their last five with the only win against the Browns (that doesn’t really even count). Rex Ryan was fired and Sean McDermott replaced him. That defense that collapsed late lost two Pro Bowlers in Zach Brown and Stephon Gilmore, and the other two are both 34 years old (Kyle Williams and Lorenzo Alexander.)

Week 9 at Miami Dolphins

2016 record: 10-6

Result: W (7-2)

They coaxed Jay Cutler out of retirement to play quarterback for them. LOL.

Week 10: BYE

Week 11 vs New England Patriots (Mexico City)

2016 record: 14-2

Result: L (7-3)

Even with the pro Raiders crowd in Mexico City last season facing Brock Osweiler with green lasers in his face, it took a fourth quarter comeback for the Raiders to beat the Texans. I don’t see them faring better against the Patriots.

Week 12 vs Denver Broncos

2016 record: 9-7

Result: W (8-3)

Just as they were expected to do last season, they sweep the Broncos. Just can’t win consistently without a quarterback in this league. Especially with a shaky offensive line and no running game.

Week 13 vs New York Giants

2016 record: 11-5

Result: L (8-4)

The Giants are a tough team, especially that defense. Their struggles were on offense, primarily in the run game, though I expect it to improve with Paul Perkins entering his second season teamed up with rookie Wayne Gallman. The pass game was on point, and has added Brandon Marshall and top pick tight end Evan Engram and that’s where the Raiders have most of their issues. It’s also another east coast trip for the Raiders.

Week 14 at Kansas City Chiefs

2016 record: 12-4

Result: L (8-5)

Carr was able to beat the Chiefs at home, but his struggles continue in Kansas City where he has never won a game.

Week 15 vs Dallas Cowboys

2016 record: 13-3

Result: L (8-6)

Ezekiel Elliott will have long since returned to the Cowboys’ lineup by this point. He and Dak Prescott and that offensive line and Dez Bryant will be way too much for the Raiders to handle. Giving them a preview in week three of the preseason likely didn’t help.

Week 16 at Philadelphia Eagles

2016 record: 7-9

Result: W (9-6)

Carson Wentz should take a step forward in his second season. And he gets some help in the form of Alshon Jeffery. But there are a lot of question marks with this team. Can Jeffery stay healthy? He hasn’t played a full 16 games the last two seasons, and this is week 16 we’re talking about. And where is the running game going to come from?

Week 17 at Los Angeles Chargers

2016 record: 5-11

Result: W (10-6)

The Raiders make their first trip to their old stomping grounds in the final game of the season and Philip Rivers gets that old familiar feeling of the crowd being dominated by Raiders fans. StubHub is an intimate stadium, so the Raiders fans will be right on top of him and the Chargers’ offense. The Raiders close out the season with a win and take the division they weren’t able to do last year.

Record prediction: 10-6

Division record: 4-2

Conference record: 8-4

Playoffs: 3 seed