Led by quarterback Derek Carr and linebacker Khalil Mack, the Raiders finally have the foundation in place to start building toward long-term success. They emerged from last season's 7-9 campaign with a lot of positives to build off heading into 2016.
They supplemented that progress with the addition of several free agents, including offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerback Sean Smith. Now the question is whether they are prepared to get over the hump and back into the postseason.
Let's check out the schedule they face in an effort to make that happen. That's followed by some analysis about the Raiders' chances of becoming 2016's breakout team.
Schedule Here is a look at the complete 2016 Raiders schedule:
Analysis
The Raiders' progress was on full display last season. Not only did their record improve by four games, but five of their nine losses were by a single score. That's part of a young team finding its way in the NFL, so expect better results in those close contests in 2016 and beyond.
As always, the most prominent key to success in the NFL is stability at quarterback. Carr provided that in his second season by throwing for just under 4,000 yards with 32 touchdowns en route to a 91.1 passer rating, which was up from a 76.6 mark as a rookie.
After last season, Josh Dubow of the Associated Press passed along comments from Carr, who spotlighted the future amid the disappointment of not quite making the playoffs:
We definitely feel like we should be playing [in the playoffs], but we didn't earn it. There are some teams in th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
