The 2022-2023 Las Vegas Raiders might have been the best worst team in the NFL this year. Finishing with a 6-11 record with all but 2 of their losses being under 7 points. Armed with weapons on both sides of the ball, McDaniels and team just couldn’t seem to find a way to end games with wins despite having elite talent like the Adams/Jacobs duo on offense and Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby on defense. On preseason paper the team looked ready to compete in the playoffs, the regular season told a different story. Playing in a tough division including the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and looking confused more than once on game winning drives the Raiders didn’t live up to expectations this past year.
Sources: The #Raiders are in the final stages of trading for #Packers star WR Davante Adams, who receives a new contract that makes him the highest paid WR in the NFL. A blockbuster.
Las Vegas sends back a 1st round pick, potentially more picks and a player.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2022
As is usual, injuries didn’t help. Las Vegas was not the hardest hit by health concerns this year by any means, in fact they weren’t even in the bottom half when comparing average weekly B.U.S ranking position. Out of the 32 teams they finished 14th with an average position of 14.7 out of 32 over the 18-week regular season. They did have some key injuries however to some impact players over the course of the regular season.
Starting with the most predictable Tight End Darren Waller. Waller has been dealing with injuries since 2021. A left knee injury and back injury in 2021 caused him to miss week 13 on, many had hoped that this season he would be back to performing as an elite level Tight End again. Unfortunately for many fantasy players and Raiders fans a hamstring injury derailed this season week 5 that caused him to be placed on IR. He returned week 15 but finished the season with only 388 yards receiving. Disappointing for a talent like Waller.
Hunter Renfrow was placed on IR the same time Waller was last season. Following a concussion that kept him out a few games early on, an oblique issue finally was the culprit that sent him to injured reserve. Renfrow was hyped up to be a big player this year after a great 2021 outing and with exception route running skills should have shined in the Raiders slot position. His health ultimately didn’t allow it and between the concussion, hip and oblique injuries he missed 7 games finishing with just 330 yards total and 2 touchdowns.
Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller
Additional injuries to Josh Jacobs (multiple), Nate Hobbs (hand), Rock Ya-Sin (knee) and Denzel Perryman (multiple) either kept key players off the field or forced them to play banged up which can ultimately decrease performance. Both sides of the ball needed some depth 2 players to step up and make plays. Ultimately however it just wasn’t enough to move on to the post season.
The overall health trend based on this past seasons B.U.S scores matches with the injuries faced by Las Vegas. An overall downward trend as the team got bruised with larger dips occurring when bigger impact players got hurt. Overall, the Raiders finished around 20 points lower than where they started in the beginning of the season. After starting just inside the top 10 they ultimately ended week 18 just outside but had dips into the bottom 10 throughout the season.
A mix of health and game planning kept the Raiders from the playoffs. They weren’t short of talent on the team that’s for sure. They have a lot of picks going into this draft and with some early ones they have the option to play around and trade some to make sure they get some key players and set themselves up for the future. Find out more about their draft situation tomorrow in The Predictors “Rough Draft” by Ryan “The Ghost” Berger as he gives us the most likely scenarios and best options for the silver and black. If they can work their picks to their advantage, get some key rookies to create depth and stay healthy next year, the Raiders look to be powerful next season.
