The Las Vegas Raiders could count on some luck to end their playoff drought because, while not much noise has been made, the Bad Guys will have the NFL’s GOAT on their side.
Tom Brady, a seven-time NFL champion with countless accolades to his name, is a minority owner of the Las Vegas franchise, and that should be motivating for all players, starting with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who returns once again to work with Brady. It’s important to remember that both were teammates in New England.
Although he won’t be playing and will most likely watch the games from a box, having the best passer of all time at his side should be a factor in his favor.
From the hand of Garoppolo
A lot of a team’s success depends on its quarterback, so Jimmy G needs to improve his numbers significantly compared to what he did in San Francisco. With the Gambusinos, he averaged 238.6 yards per game and 1.4 touchdown passes in the six years he was there, but everyone knows that it was the defense that determined the team’s fate.
Talent on offense
The Raiders don’t have a great defense, so Garoppolo will have to carry the load and fight at the right time. Fortunately, he is surrounded by players with proven talent on offense, starting with running back Josh Jacobs, who will be the same leader in rushing yards in 2022 with 1,653 and 12 trips to the end zone.
Davante Adams is the Malosos’ star receiver. He has three straight seasons of over 1,000 yards per reception. The Raiders drafted Jakobi Meyers from New England, and while he never topped 1,000 yards in his career, he’s a sure-handed receiver.
A defense that has been strengthened
If we’re talking about Las Vegas depending on what their quarterback does, it’s because their defense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2022. It ranked 26th in points allowed and 28th in yards accepted.
With these areas in mind, the team focused on strengthening this department. In the last draft they selected Texas Tech defensive end Tire Wilson with the first pick. In fact, six of their nine picks were for defense.
There are also the notable signings of defensive tackle John Jenkins, linebacker Robert Spillane, cornerbacks Marcus Peters, Duke Shelley and Brandon Facyson; and safeties Marcus Epps and David Long.
Maxx, the great leader in defense
Maxx Crosby is their best man on defense, he was just invited to his second Pro Bowl. He led the organization in tackles with 89 and was also number one in quarterback sacks with 12.5. He had 22 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles, recovered one and had four pass deflections.
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