After a convincing 30-20 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, the Oakland Raiders moved to 7-2, took over sole possession of first place in the AFC West, would currently have a bye if the NFL playoffs were to start today and earned their first signature victory in a fine season that had a nice, if relatively unimpressive, 6-2 record. It all brings about the obvious question: How good are the Oakland Raiders?
I have no idea. You don't either. And I doubt coach Jack Del Rio could offer much insight himself. The Raiders, befitting their image and their history, are a pure enigma, a team with a record that screams Super Bowl but with caveats that signal imposters. Their nine-game start to the season has been both remarkable and pedestrian depending on which light you view it in.
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The Raiders haven't made the playoffs in 14 years, tied for the second-longest drought in the NFL and the longest in team history. They haven't had a season above .500 in that stretch either. Already in 2016 the team has seven wins, more than they had in 10 of the 13 full seasons since that last postseason appearance. Their five wins on the road are greater than their win total in seven of the last 13. Though they've played one more game than a lot of the league (their bye comes up this week) but are tied with New England and Dallas for the most victories in the NFL. It's unbelievable. So they've got that going for them, which is nice.
But teams have collapsed from 7-2 before, teams with far better resumes than the Raiders do. Still, given the fact that the only AFC teams with winning records are either in first place or in Oakland's division, a wild card seems like a realistic worst-case scenario. A manageable schedule to finish the year – Houston, Carolina, Buffalo, Kansas City, San Diego, Indianapolis and Denver – helps the cause. No matter what happens beyond that, the season would be a massive success if it results in a playoff bid.
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Here's what we know: Oakland is powerful on both sides of the ball. On Sunday, they manhandled the Broncos offensive line, ran through the defensive line with ease and protected the quarterback. Derek Carr is both prolific and a thorough game manager – not quite the MVP candidate some have touted but easily one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL this year. Latavius Murray had his best game of the season against the best defense Oakland has faced.
Here's what we also know: Oakland entered the game ranked 31st in total defense. The passing defense is just as bad as the rush defense. Murray hadn't had a 100-yard game before Sunday night. Prior to SNF, the team hadn't defeated a team that currently has a winning record. The Raiders went to overtime with the Bucs and beat the Saints, Titans, Ravens and Chargers by 12 points total. The team is undisciplined, setting an NFL record for most penalties in a single game in last week's overtime win. For every step the Raiders have taken forward, you could find a counter to say they've taken it back.
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The 6-3 Broncos, as currently constituted, aren't quite the great test that a 6-3 Broncos team normally would. Aqib Talib's absence leaves Denver's defense with a massive hole in the secondary that has a ripple effect all the way up to the defensive line. Though C.J. Anderson isn't going to make anyone forget Terrell Davis, his injury effectively left Denver without a rushing attack and, by extension, much of an offense. The team went three-and-out on its first four possessions and six times overall yet the Raiders still couldn't shake them until the middle of the fourth quarter. Games in which a team doubles up their opponent in time of possession shouldn't be in doubt late in the game. Again, this is no indictment of Oakland just a cautionary point before we start showing John Madden highlight reels.
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Apropos of nothing, it's fun to have the Raiders in the mix again. Like college football with the blue bloods such as Michigan and Nebraska back near the top of the polls, the NFL just feels right when the Raiders are out winning games and getting flags. (Also, Jack Del Rio just looks like a Raiders coach, doesn't he?)
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Which is it then? The Raiders are neither as good as their 7-2 record indicates nor as bad as everything that statement usually connotes. In the most parity-stricken year the NFL has seen in decades they're a team capable of outscoring anyone, resilient enough to win on the road and sufficiently vulnerable to give up points to even the dregs of the NFL. Everything, from an AFC West title to a third-place finish, from an AFC Championship Game appearance to a New Year's Day flameout, is in the cards.
What do we know? The Oakland Raiders are fun again. For now, that's enough.
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