Oakland Raiders: 3 Bold predictions vs. Chiefs, Week 2

4 of 4

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders greets outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict #55 prior to their game against the Denver Broncos at RingCentral Coliseum on September 09, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. Raiders start 2019 season at 2-0

The Oakland Raiders are a very good team in 2019. They will be much better than the 4-12 record they posted last season. Even without Antonio Brown, Jon Gruden has a team who will win games, and certainly more than four of them.

The Chiefs are certainly a favorite to win the AFC West, but they will have their challenges. Last season, the division was only a two-team race between Kansas City and the Chargers. This season, expect the Raiders to keep pace more than many pundits would have predicted — or may still be predicting at this point.

Kansas City playing two games on the road back to back could be an assist as well. The Chiefs will have gone from the East Coast in Week 1 to Northern California in Week 2. That’s a lot of miles early in the season for a team to be logging.

Next. 20 Bold predictions for NFL Week 2. dark

It will show. Mahomes will appear much more mortal against the Raiders and Oakland will take advantage of it. While the Chiefs have won eight of the last nine, it just isn’t the same old Raiders any longer. Gruden has this team ready to win and win now. Carr has a big game, the defense has a big game and Oakland is very relevant to begin the 2019 NFL season, beating Kansas City at home in Week 2, 28-23.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders