The Raiders a Playoff Team in 2025?

The Las Vegas Raiders were once a team that saw the post-season regularly in the NFL. From the 80's and the 90's, they were a team that, on any given year, was a lock to make the playoffs. Ever since 2000, they've only made the playoffs five times.

In 2002, they made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but they fell short to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ever since that loss, they have yet to make it out of the wildcard round. Their last loss came in 2021 to the Cincinnati Bengals; they would then go on to lose in the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Raiders 2024 season was another forgettable season for Raiders Nation, as they only won four games and were all around not a very good team. However, they have an opportunity to drastically turn things around next season.

Throughout the years in the NFL, there's been a trend where, in any given division, the team that ends up last in the division will have a miraculous turnaround the next year. The AFC West saw this last year when the Los Angeles Chargers jumped to second in the division after being the worst team the year prior.

Could it be that the Raiders themselves are ready for such a jump? They have certainly begun to turn things around in free agency and have demonstrated their aggressiveness to get better through their signings.

After trading for Geno Smith and signing veteran players such as Raheem Mostert or Lonnie Johnson Jr, their team is better equipped and projected to win more than four games. Still, is that enough? Is it enough to have a better record than last year, or could this team strive for more?

I believe that the Raiders are in store for a tremendous jump in the AFC and will make the playoffs next season. They still have the sixth overall pick, which they can use to draft a playmaker on either side of the ball.

Smith will give their offense more consistency, and their defense already has a lot of talent; they just have to hope they can remain healthy. Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins were barely on the field together last year. Hopefully, that could change next year.

I don't think they're ready to compete for a Super Bowl or even make a deep playoff run, but they've set themselves up to where I believe they can at least make it to the playoffs. Who knows, maybe all they need is their foot in the door to make some noise in the postseason.

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