1. Who starts for the Las Vegas Raiders?
While NFL fans won t have the usual preseason quarterback battle to look forward to, they will now get to see it play out during the regular season. Whether that is a good thing or not for the Las Vegas Raiders remains to be seen.
In fact, with both Derek Carr and Marcos Mariota having a lot to prove this season in order to get their respective careers back on track, fans should be ready for a full-blown shootout between the two. Now, based on stats and consistency, Carr is probably a safer choice, but the thought of becoming irrelevant might just be enough to pull a better performance out of Mariota.
2. Can they beat the Kansas City Cheifs?
Beating the Kansas City Chiefs will be no easy task, especially after they just won the Super Bowl with MVP quarterback, Patrick Mahones, but what if a Super Bowl slump is in play? As crazy and out there as that might seem, it is entirely possible that this factor mixed with no preseason could leave the Chiefs vulnerable to a loss.
Of course, it s going to take a lot of luck, some key plays by Derek Carr and a solid ground game by Josh Jacobs, but if the Raiders can come into this game better prepared, they stand a much better chance of winning. If they manage to do that, then the division will be wide open this year and the Raiders might even stand a chance of a deep playoff run. It all starts with the Chiefs though.
3. Will Josh Jacobs suffer a sophomore slump?
The sophomore slump has adversely affected the careers of several top NFL stars and its next victim could be none other than Josh Jacobs. While any member of any team having a sophomore slump would be bad enough, the Las Vegas Raiders losing one of the top-ten runners in the NFL would be particularly damning for their season.
Keep in mind this is a man that had 1150 yards rushing, an average gain of 4.7 per play, and 7 touchdowns. Sure, he wasn t always able to find the endzone and gave up some key plays in the process, but his 4.7 yards per carry is impressive. It is also something that really helped the Raiders get down the field when they needed to.
With that being said and training camp being the only way for the 32 teams to measure their worth before the season starts, a sophomore slump could be looming for one of the best players in Las Vegas.
4. Can the defense hold in 2020?
There s not a lot that can be said here besides the fact that the Las Vegas Raiders need to step up their defense in order to be a legitimate playoff threat.
Their biggest problem last season was defense and it s what they are going to have to fix in order to make another playoff run.
5. Can the Las Vegas Raiders make the playoffs?
Believe it or not, making the playoffs might not be a stretch for the Las Vegas Raiders. In fact, between the Chiefs being susceptible to a Super Bowl slump and the Chargers and Broncos still needing massive improvements to compete in the division, the door could be wide open for the Raiders.
Or maybe it doesn’t exactly go down like that. The Raiders can still win a wildcard spot by finishing second in their division, which wouldn t be too far out of the question and go on to wildcard weekend. What happens from there is anyone s guess and will depend on the defense holding up and Derek Carr being able to stay consistent, but the possibility is definitely there.
