Oakland Raiders in 2012: Good, Bad, Ugly

Damali Binta – Sep 12, 2012

The Oakland Raiders managed to put some points on the board in the Week 1 game between their rivals, the San Diego Chargers. Although there was a loss, the point differential was not too bad. It was -8.

In Week 2, the Raiders will play the Miami Dolphins, a team that also loss in Week 1. The point differential for the Dolphins was -20. A curious observation is that the Raiders did a little better than the Dolphins in Week 1, if you only look at the point differential.

The bad is that there are more injuries to key players. This means that the Raiders have got to find a few good men to strengthen the depth chart, especially in the wide receiver category.

Historically, the Raiders and Dolphins swing back and forth, with the Raiders doing better in the past two years with an 8-8 record. Take a good look at the win chart for the Dolphins and Raiders from 1992 to 2011.

Dolphins	Raiders
11	7
9	10
10	9
9	8
8	7
9	4
10	8
9	8
11	12
11	10
9	11
10	4
4	5
9	4
6	2
1	4
11	5
7	5
7	8
6	8

 

Since a few commentators said that you get a better idea of the performance of an NFL team after four or five games into the regular season, we have got to give the Oakland Raiders room for improvement and expect better results as the season progresses.

The game in Week 1 was ugly, but that doesn't serve as a predictor for future outcomes. Since the Raiders are going to play the Dolphins and since the Dolphins' defense seems weaker than the Raiders, I believe the Raiders are going to defeat the Dolphins.

The loss in Week 1 should serve as an impetus for Week 2. Surely, the team is building up its backbone. They will not and can not allow a defeat in Week 2. The team has got to be fired up, because they have a point to prove: good in 2010, better in 2011, and aiming to be the best in 2012.

I have included a historical chart for your perusal.

Go Raiders!