5 players that will be key in The Las Vegas Raiders reaching the playoffs

Introduction

The 2020 NFL season is only a short time away and while Raider Nation is probably still sulking after going 7-9 and missing the playoffs last year, they might have an opportunity to go further this time around. In fact, with the various moves that the team has made in free agency this offseason and a solid Quarterback like Derrek Carr at the helm, it s entirely possible to make a playoff run this year.

How do we get there though? What will The Las Vegas Raiders have to do in order to reach the playoffs?

Let s start with what we know before we go any further. Whether Raider nation wants to admit it or not, the team was ranked 24th in offense and defense last year. While there are still eight teams worse than them on both sides of the field, that s not going to help them break into the upper echelon of The National Football league.

With that being said and another season almost upon us, here are five players that are going to be key to taking The Las Vegas Raiders to the playoffs in 2020.

#5 The entire wide receiver roster

It might feel a bit like cheating to put everyone on the wide receiver position on this list, but they had an abysmal year last season and that s going to need to improve. Of course, maybe it will with the addition of Nelson Agholor Jason Witten and Henry Ruggs.

#4 Jason Witten

We mentioned Witten in the last entry, but believe that he should get some added focus due to him being one of the team's more notable free agency signings. With that being said, we know that it is very unlikely that he will produce the same numbers he did when he was with The Cowboys and will instead be brought in for short-yardage situations and third downs.

If nothing else, Witten needs to make the most of these opportunities every chance he gets and use his frame to his advantage.

#3 Josh Jacobs

Can you believe how well this guy did as a rookie? While Jacobs didn t put up Derrick Henry numbers in 2019, he was the eighth-best rusher in the entire league. He also averaged a total of 88.5 yards per game, which was the third-best in the league. If nothing else, The Raiders have a better-than-average running back on their hands and need to use him to his full potential in 2020.

Of course, that s not going to be easy, especially with the curse of the sophomore slump looming and his injury at the end of the year, but if Jacobs can overcome both of those, it could help put The Raiders in range.

#2 The defense

Let s be honest here. 24th in the league when it comes to defense just isn t going to cut it for a team that is looking to make any kind of playoff run in 2020.

Fortunately for The Raiders, players like Carl Nassib, who the team acquired in free agency, could be a key player in turning that around. Not only is that evident by the 11 times he was able to get to the quarterback last season, but also by his 24 solo tackles as well. There s also Maliek Collins, who also came to The Raiders in free agency and recorded 4 sacks last season.

5. #1 Derek Carr

Believe it or not, Derek Carr is a top ten quarterback. In fact, he was the tenth best quarterback in the league in 2019 and could very easily improve on those numbers with the right weapons. One thing Carr is going to have to improve in 2020 is his number of touchdowns per game, which really screwed his team out of a few wins last season.

If nothing else, Carr needs to work on his red-zone efficiency and stop losing so many close games.

As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to tell us how far you think the team will go this year.