Oakland Raiders Season Recap

AFC West	Finished 2nd in Division Lost in the Wild Card Round to Houston
Overall Record: 12-4 (3-3 in the division)	Draft Position: 24th
Head Coach: Jack Del Rio	GM: Reggie McKenzie

Pro Bowlers

• QB Derek Carr
• WR Amari Cooper
• C Rodney Hudson
• DE Khalil Mack
• FS Reggie Nelson
• G Kelechi Osemele
• T Donald Penn

2016 Rankings

	Yards/Game	Points/Game	Passing Yards/Game	Rushing Yards/Game
Offense	5th	7th	13th	6th	TDs – T-9th
Defense	26th	20th	24th	23rd	Sacks – T- 32nd	INTs – T-9th

Top Passers

Name	Games Started	CMP. PCT.	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating	QBR
Derek Carr	15	63.8	3,937	28	6	96.7	61.8
Matt McGloin	1	53.3	50	0	0	60.4	14.4

Top Rushers

Name	Rushing Yards	Y/A	TDs
Latavius Murray	788	4.0	12
Jalen Richard	491	5.9	1

Top Pass Catchers

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/C	TDs
Amari Cooper	83	1,153	13.9	5
Michael Crabtree	89	1,003	11.	8

Top Defensive Players

• LB Malcolm Smith - 103 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 INT, 2 forced fumbles
• DE Khalil Mack - 73 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, 1 INT, 5 forced fumbles
• S Reggie Nelson - 65 total tackles, 5 INTs

Impending Free Agents

• ILB Malcolm Smith
• FS Nate Allen
• CB D.J. Hayden
• QB Matt McGloin
• WR Andre Holmes
• T Menelik Watson
• LS Jon Condo
• SS Brynden Trawick
• ILB Perry Riley
• ILB Daren Bates
• RB Latavius Murray
• DT Stacy McGee

What I Said About Them Before the Season

• I really liked Oakland before the season and projected them to go 10-6, which was still underwhelming compared to their 12-4 record.  I was also a big believer in quarterback Derek Carr who had an excellent sophomore season last year and was looking to build upon it.  In general, I was just excited about their offense with Latavius Murray at running back and Amari Cooper at wide receiver.  The only part of the team that I was off on was their defense, which I valued to be near-elite but held the team back to an extent.

Success/Failure

• Success - Had Carr not gotten hurt in week 16, the Raiders could have been a serious contender to win the conference.  Their offense was elite when he was under center, throwing just 6 interceptions, and had a plethora of weapons to throw to with Cooper proving once again that he is elite and Michael Crabtree having a career-reviving season.  Oakland is still young and needs some work on the fringes of the roster, but they are progressing towards success very rapidly and look to be the class of the division.

Offseason Needs

• Last offseason, the Raiders addressed their porous offensive line, which worked to perfection this season.  This offseason, they need to work on their defense in all three areas.  I think that when they make their first pick at 24 that they should take the best available defensive player. CBS Sports has them taking linebacker Haason Reddick, who has extreme athleticism and would anchor their linebacker corps.  Fox Sports has the Raiders drafting Washington cornerback Sidney Jones who was elite this season in the PAC-12.

*All stats and information come from espn.com, nfl.com, pro-football-reference.com, rosterresource.com, spotrac.com, overthecap.com, and cbssports.com