Much of the Falcons’ playoff hopes rest on the third-round pick’s shoulders. He’s only got four starts under his belt, which left much to be desired. I don’t think it’s even debatable because of how unproven Desmond Ridder is. Now, onto the weakest unit - quarterback. It’s a group with elite top end talent and depth. Moreover, Eddie Goldman returns from retirement. This year, Graham can expect to assume a more supplementary rotational role behind David Onyemata and Calais Campbell. Last year, Ta’Quon Graham played a prominent role along the front, and he experienced quite the breakout campaign, aiding Grady Jarrett in recording most of his sacks and pressures during that span before Graham headed to the season ending IR. There’s definitely an argument to be made for the offensive line and running back units to be the strongest on the roster, but I have no qualms about Clay choosing the interior defensive line it’s by far the most improved group on the roster. If Ridder struggles, veteran Taylor Heinicke (career 34 TDs and 24 INTs) is the next man up and offers little reason for optimism. The 23-year-old attempted 115 passes as a rookie, and his only two TDs came against Tampa Bay’s reserves in Week 18. Atlanta is undoubtedly building around its run game, and that was evidenced by its failure to upgrade on 2022 third-round flier Desmond Ridder. This is a huge upgrade for a defense that was 29th in EPA last season. New DC Ryan Nielsen brought David Onyemata over from New Orleans, and he’ll play a big role inside. Six-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell is now 36 years old, but he’s fresh off another strong season and will work from the edge and inside. Two-time Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett is the notable incumbent and one of the anchors of this group. I had quite a few good options here, including running back and offensive line, but I’ll give the nod to Atlanta’s much-improved D-line. Seth Walder and Mike Clay of ESPN (subscription required) ranked the roster the 26th-best in football, with its strongest unit being the interior defensive line and the weakest unit being the quarterback position. They don’t believe in what’s going on inside Flowery Branch, and the driving factor in the short-selling is Desmond Ridder. It will be imperative for the Raiders to get off to a hot start early in the season, as the first six weeks will be the easiest stretch of games they will see this year.The roster has been dramatically improved since the new regime took over, but the folks over at ESPN still aren’t budging. The biggest question is who will be under center for Denver, but either way, the Raiders defense can’t allow Paxton Lynch or Trevor Siemian to beat them. Denver’s defense is still quite stingy and was once again among the NFL’s best last season. This could be an early statement game if the Raiders can put together a quality performance and get a win on the road in a tough environment. The Raiders will play their first division game of the year in Week 4 at Denver. In 2016, the Raiders finally exercised the east coast demons that had plagued them for so long, so this team has now learned how to travel and win games on the road. This is another winnable game for the Raiders, as Washington just missed the playoffs last season, and lose their two starting wide receivers via free agency. The Titans are a team on the rise who added two first round picks to their roster this offseason.Īfter the home opener against a lowly Jets team, the Raiders will head east to play the Redskins. This will be the third consecutive year the Raiders will play at Tennessee, with the previous two meetings having been hard fought Raiders victories. They will start the season in Tennessee, head home to face the Jets and then hit the road again for consecutive weeks at Washington and at Denver. Like they did one year ago, the Raiders will once again play three of their first four games on the road. Raiders will have to be road warriors to start the season Here are five observations for the Raiders 2017 schedule. In addition to the traditional divisional games, the Raiders will take on teams from the AFC and NFC East as well as the AFC North and South. The teams they will play had a 2016 combined record of 144-111-1. For starters, they will face a much more difficult slate of games this year, as their strength of schedule ranks them fourth in the league. Now that we are less than 100 days until the kickoff of the 2017 NFL season, it’s time we take a closer look at the Oakland Raiders schedule. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Miscellaneous observations of the 2017 schedule for the Oakland Raiders. Oakland, CA, USA Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson (29) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe (19) during the first half at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |