The Raiders defense is going to be a huge problem for the Broncos
Oakland’s defense might not be as good as Denver’s, but it’s gives the Raiders a huge advantage in the AFC West arms race.
| 2015 | DVOA overall | DVOA pass | DVOA run |
| DEN | -25.8% (1) | -28.0% (1) | -22.8% (4) |
| OAK | -1.5% (15) | 5.9% (16) | -12.1% (15) |
He’s not necessarily wrong at least, but the Raiders have a big gap to cover if they’re going to rival the Broncos defense. The good news is that the Raiders did a lot this offseason to improve their secondary. Free agent addition Sean Smith gave them a viable starting corner, one who can go man-to-man with big receivers, opposite David Amerson. They lost Charles Woodson, but replaced his five picks with Reggie Nelson, who had eight last year. They also drafted safety Karl Joseph in the first round.
Oakland also used some of its salary cap war chest to bring in Bruce Irvin, who gives Mack some help attacking quarterbacks. Even if the moves aren’t enough for a 20-point DVOA jump, it’s the kind of defense that cause problems for a Denver offense led by Mark Sanchez or rookie Paxton Lynch, and isn’t that enough?
BONUS CONTENT: Here are my scientifically accurate rankings for the AFC West defenses.
1. Broncos -- Still very good and they have Von Miller’s pelvis.
2. Raiders -- The Raiders matter again!
3. Chiefs -- Fine
4. Chargers -- lol
ANOTHER FIRST-ROUND PICK FOR THE RAMS
The Rams signed former Patriots first-round pick Dominique Easley. The Rams now have seven former first-round picks in their front seven. The Bengals were also a contender for Easley, who would have been the only first-round pick in their front seven, a front-seven that’s helped the Bengals make it to the playoffs for five seasons in a row.
But hey, maybe Jeff Fisher finally has enough talent on his team to get back to 8-8!
ARE THE BILLS A SUPER BOWL SLEEPER?
Are the Buffalo Bills are Super Bowl LI sleepers? Maybe. The Bills have a really interesting team, but it still feels like maybe they’re a year away from being a contender. Also, I’m not a huge believer in Rex Ryan.
WILL FITZPATRICK EVER SIGN?
Deadline for Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jets Might Be May 24. Or maybe it won’t! Why is this saga taking so long?
CHARGERS GET METTENBERGER ... MMMMMM, BERGER
The Chargers signed Zach Mettenberger, who will battle Kellen Clemens for the honor of backing up Philip Rivers.
BRAM SADFORD
Seahawks’ Michael Bennett rips Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (again). He kinda has a point, though. Bradford was on the practice field for OTAs on Tuesday, and he was working with the first team. He and Carson Wentz talked! Then, Bradford took the podium himself and, hey, everything is just fine now, just fine.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO RG3?
Jason Reid has the inside story on RG3’s fall in Washington. It even includes Dan Snyder meddling and making things worse for everyone! It’s a very good story, and I encourage you to read it.
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