Phil Agius
Show Bio
The Raiders made the playoffs last season despite having plenty of excuses not to do so. They have a new head coach this year and have made a couple of splashy free-agent signings, but a return to the playoffs is not going to be easy with the AFC West having become a real powerhouse.
Las Vegas began last season in their fourth season under Jon Gruden and their second since moving from Oakland, but the Super Bowl-winning coach lasted just 5 games, resigning with the team standing at 3-2 in the wake of a controversy about historic emails he had sent. Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia did a fine job, negotiating further incidents including the tragic car crash that led to wide receiver Henry Ruggs being released. Josh McDaniels gets his second head coaching job with the Raiders this year after failing at the first attempt in Denver. Let’s take a look at the Raiders’ prospects in 2022.
Las Vegas Raiders breakdown
2021 record: 10-7
2021 ATS record: 8-9
2021 O/U record: 8-9
Key players in: Davante Adams (WR), Keelan Cole (WR), Brandon Bolden (RB), DeMarcus Robinson (WR), Jacob Hollister (TE), Chandler Jones (DE), Johnathan Hankins (DT), Duron Harmon (S), Rock Ya-Sin (CB), Jayon Brown (LB), Kenny Young (LB)
Key players out: Marcus Mariota (QB), Peyton Barber (RB), Jalen Richard (RB), Bryan Edwards (WR), DeSean Jackson (WR), Zay Jones (WR), Richie Incognito (G), Carl Nassib (DE), Yannick Ngakoue (DE), Solomon Thomas (DL), Cory Littleton (LB), KJ Wright (LB), Casey Hayward (CB)
2022 Draft class: Dylan Parham (G), Zamir White (RB), Neil Farrell Jr. (DT), Matthew Butler (DT), Thayer Munford (OT), Brittain Brown (OT)
Las Vegas Raiders 2022 NFL season odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Las Vegas Raiders Super Bowl odds
The Raiders are in the middle of the pack in DraftKings Sportsbook’s odds to win Super Bowl 57 at +4000.
Las Vegas Raiders AFC Championship odds
The Raiders are the joint-9th favorites to win the AFC at +2000, the same odds as the Dolphins and Titans.
Las Vegas Raiders AFC West odds
The Raiders are the outsiders in the tough AFC West division with +650 odds, some way behind the Chiefs (+175), Chargers (+220) and Broncos (+260).
Las Vegas Raiders win total odds
The Raiders’ win total is set lower than the figure they managed last season at 8.5, with -120 odds on them to win 9 or more games in the 2022 NFL season, and +100 for them to win 8 or fewer games. They are +160 to make the playoffs again this year and -200 to miss out.
Head to our NFL Odds page for odds on all the main NFL betting markets
Las Vegas Raiders schedule 2022
at Los Angeles Chargers, September 11
vs Arizona Cardinals, September 19
at Tennessee Titans, September 25
vs Denver Broncos, October 2
at Kansas City, October 10
BYE
vs Houston Texans, October 23
at New Orleans Saints, October 30
at Jacksonville Jaguars, November 6
vs Indianapolis Colts, November 13
at Denver Broncos, November 20
at Seattle Seahawks, November 27
vs Los Angeles Chargers, December 4
at Los Angeles Rams, December 8
vs New England Patriots, December 18
at Pittsburgh Steelers, December 24
vs San Francisco 49ers, January 1
vs Kansas City Chiefs, January 8
We’ll have NFL picks for EVERY matchup of the 2022 season
Las Vegas Raiders 2021 season recap
It’s fair to say that the 2021 season didn’t go as anyone expected for the Raiders, who lurched from one crisis to the next but still ended up making the playoffs under their interim head coach Rich Bisaccia. They still reached their bye week at 5-2 with some handy tiebreaker wins over the Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins and Broncos in the bag, but lost 5 out of 6 games after their bye, included a pair of blowout losses to the Chiefs, 41-14 and 48-9. The third section of the season, however, saw them win 4 straight games starting with a 16-14 win over a Covid-ravaged Browns team that started 3rd-string QB Nick Mullens in a game that was delayed 2 days from its original date.
Two more close wins over the Broncos and Colts let up to some wild final-day drama as the Raiders beat the Chargers 35-32 in overtime to make the playoffs. They became the Cinderella Bengals’ first victims in the postseason and decided to part ways with Bisaccia even though he had received votes for the Coach of the Year award.
Read our Super Bowl 57 predictions and best bets, including a +4500 longshot
Las Vegas Raiders 2022 NFL season predictions
The Raiders start a new chapter under Josh McDaniels, who had an 11-17 record when he was fired by the Broncos more than a decade ago. After working for the Rams and Patriots, he accepted the job as Colts’ head coach in 2018 before backing out. This time he has made it safely to the Raiders’ building and has a solid roster to work with — but the players aren’t really the Raiders’ problem this year, it’s their situation. Despite last season’s second-place finish, they are the outsiders for the division due to the strength of perennial AFC contenders the Chiefs, the up-and-coming Chargers and a Broncos roster boosted by the arrival of a top-level QB in Russell Wilson.
Raiders QB Derek Carr has his critics, but he also has supporters and a big new contract to ease his pain. Better still, Davante Adams arrived in a major trade with Green Bay, giving the Raiders plenty of options alongside TE Darren Waller and slot man Hunter Renfrow, who could put up some big numbers in a McDaniels offense. The big worry with the offense is that none of it could work well unless a shaky looking offensive line comes together. There are defensive concerns too, and their defense is switching from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 at what could be a difficult time to make that transition with so many stacked offenses lining up opposite them this season. Chandler Jones was another signing that grabbed the headlines and the Raiders have some young talent coming through, but the other teams in the division still appear more play0ff-ready, despite last year’s standings.
Best bet: Las Vegas Raiders under 8.5 wins (+100)
Here’s the thing: the Raiders won 10 games last year and they might be improved on paper with the arrival of Adams and more stable coaching situation. However, those 10 wins included a lot of close games — they had a 6-1 record in games decided by 4 or fewer points — and with a few plays going the other way their record might have been very different.
Their schedule also makes for grim reading. McDaniels is getting a baptism of fire with Chargers, Cardinals, Titans, Broncos and Chiefs as his first 5 games before their early bye. There’s a chance to grab some wins in a softer middle section of the schedule but a final game against the Chiefs doesn’t sound so promising for Week 18 heroics this year. It’s entirely possible that the Raiders could be improved this year and still win at least 2 fewer games than they did last time, so our best bet for their season is to take under 8.5 regular-season wins.
Las Vegas Raiders season record predictions
The Silver & Black were back last season, but matching their 10-7 record in the cauldron of the 2022 AFC West looks a tough challenge and in fact a record as low as 6-11 could be nearer the mark this time.
Check out our best bets to win the AFC this season
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