How Oakland Raiders' Offense, Defense Compare to Rest of AFC West

The Oakland Raiders have had a very busy offseason. The team brought in a lot of talent both through free agency and the draft. Add to that a brand new coaching staff, and hopes are understandably high in the East Bay.

The ultimate goal for the Raiders is to once again be one of the top teams in the NFL. But a rebuilding team such as this can't look too far ahead. The process of returning to relevance has to begin with smaller, more manageable steps.

For the Raiders, the first step is to be competitive and successful in the AFC West.

Oakland finds itself in a very difficult position. It's the one rebuilding team in an otherwise strong division. Every team in the AFC West beside Oakland is a legitimate playoff contender, and two of them—Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers—could make a Super Bowl run if things go right.

The Raiders, in the midst of a rebuild, are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

However, with the moves the team made this offseason, the gap has been substantially closed. In fact, the Raiders are in position to make a major move up the AFC West standings.

Raiders vs. AFC West in 2014

Oakland has struggled against the AFC West in recent years, and 2014 was no exception, as the team went on to finish with a 1-5 record within the division.

	Record	Avg Score	Avg Diff	Pts For	Pts Against	+/-
vs. Denver Broncos	0-2 (41-17, 47-14)	44-15.5	-28.5	31	88	-57
vs. Kansas City Chiefs	1-1 (24-20 [W], 31-17)	25.5-20.5	-5	41	51	-10
vs. San Diego Chargers	0-2 (31-28, 13-6)	22-17	-5	34	44	-10
Total	1-5	30.5-17.7	-14.2	106	183	-77

While the Raiders fared very poorly against their divisional rivals, the numbers should be taken in the proper context.

Yes, Oakland lost by an average of more than two touchdowns. But what should be noted is the most damage was done by the Broncos, who beat the Raiders by an average of 28.5 points per game.

The Raiders did much better against Kansas City and San Diego, two teams against whom Oakland lost by an average of just five points.

Still, a loss is a loss. However, there is a silver lining for the Silver and Black. Aside from the two games against Denver, the Raiders played much better against divisional opponents than the final record indicates. They picked up a a win against Kansas City, and the two losses against San Diego could've gone the other way if Oakland could've made another play or two.

Oakland finished last in the AFC West in 2014, though it was not by as wide a margin as some might think. The Raiders were a few plays and a couple of players away from finishing with a much better record in the division.

The Raiders needed to add those players and those plays this offseason. It's still early, but it looks like they did just that.

The Offense in '15

The Raiders were bad on both sides of the ball last year, but the offense was arguably the worst unit of all. The organization was aware of this and addressed the issue by bringing in some major contributors.

Rodney Hudson	Center
Amari Cooper	Wide Receiver
Michael Crabtree	Wide Receiver
Trent Richardson	Running Back
Roy Helu Jr.	Running Back
Clive Walford	Tight End

*For a complete list of additions, visit Raiders.com

There are different opinions as to why the Oakland offense struggled so much last season. But one thing most agree on is that the offense had a major shortage of playmakers at the skill positions.

This was particularly true in the passing game. Therefore, the front office made it a point to get Derek Carr more weapons.

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The most telling sign of the team's desire to fix this problem was when it used the fourth overall pick in the draft to select Amari Cooper. However, he wasn't the only addition. Oakland also added Michael Crabtree, Clive Walford and Roy Helu Jr., all players who join the team with track records of being effective pass-catchers.

As bad as the passing game was, the running game was even worse. However, the Raiders took a different approach here. Only Trent Richardson was added to compete for the starting job against Latavius Murray, last season's surprise breakout performer.

One of the most frustrating things last season was watching the Raiders struggle to consistently pick up first downs. The offense's inability to stay on the field led to fewer points, and it also led to the defense having to spend too much time on the field.

The offense is close to fixing this. Cooper is a threat all over the field, Crabtree's veteran savvy and Helu's ability to come out of the backfield will improve the unit's third-down efficiency. The addition of Walford also gives the offense a legitimate, consistent, every-down threat over the middle.

The two keys for the offense will be how much better Carr is in his second season and whether or not the team can establish a consistently effective running game.

	Passing YPG	Rushing YPG	Pts/G
Denver Broncos	225.4 (9th)	79.8 (2nd)	22.1 (t-16th)
Kansas City Chiefs	203.3 (2nd)	127.3 (28th)	17.6 (2nd)
San Diego Chargers	214.2 (4th)	124.1 (26th)	21.8 (t-13th)

*Overall NFL rankings in parentheses

Carr will play better, especially with the additional weapons he now has. However, the overall passing game will experience growing pains throughout the year, and it won't be until later in the season when the passing attack finally begins to establish consistent, reliable production.

Passing against AFC West defenses represents a daunting task under ideal circumstances. For an offense such as Oakland's, with a young quarterback and a rebuilt, still-finding-its-identity wide receiving corps, the task is even tougher.

The deciding factor will ultimately be the running game. While the division is very tough against the pass, it can be had on the ground. It's not a coincidence that Oakland's first win in 2014 came against Kansas City, which was also the first time the offense did any real damage on the ground.

Within the division, the passing attack has to figure out a way to be efficient, but it'll be up to the running backs to do most of the damage. How effective the running game is will determine how effective the offense is overall.

The Defense in '15

The defense didn't have a good season by any stretch, but it frequently showed flashes that it was given credit for. There were several games Oakland could've, and should've, won based on the performance of the defense. Now, the unit has been reinforced and should continue to grow.

Nate Allen	Safety
Mario Edwards Jr.	Defensive End
Dan Williams	Defensive Tackle
Curtis Lofton	Linebacker
Malcolm Smith	Linebacker
Ben Heeney	Linbacker

*For a complete list of additions, visit Raiders.com

The Raiders discovered they have some foundational players on defense in Khalil Mack, Sio Moore and Justin Ellis. Moore has continued to improve, and Mack looks like he's well on his way to being an All-Pro.

Even the unheralded Ellis has received some recognition. When Bleacher Report's Adam Lefkoe asked Bleacher Report NFL analyst Chris Simms to predict Oakland's unsung hero for next season, he had this to say:

Oakland is very solid along the defensive line. Although he's on the downside of his career, Justin Tuck can still be productive. Up the middle, the Raiders are going to extremely tough to run against with Ellis and Dan Williams, who combine for a little over 660 pounds, clogging up the running lanes.

It remains to be seen what the team will do with rookie Mario Edwards Jr., who's listed on the official team roster as a defensive end. This will likely be his featured role, although it won't be a surprise to see him step inside on passing downs.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

At linebacker, Oakland suddenly finds itself with what could be one of the better units in the league. Mack, Moore and Curtis Lofton are collectively strong in the pass rush, against the run and in coverage. The unit still has work to do. But if all goes well, this could turn into a three-headed terror for opposing offenses.

For all the potential Oakland has on defense, the one glaring unknown remains the secondary, particularly the cornerback position.

The Raiders were surprisingly inactive at cornerback, instead opting to go with the highly talented but unproven trio of D.J. Hayden, T.J. Carrie and Keith McGill. At safety, Oakland's biggest addition was Nate Allen, who's as likely to make a big mistake as he is to make a big play.

This is a particularly dangerous gamble, given the caliber of quarterbacks the team will face within the division—Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Alex Smith.

	Passing YPG	Rushing YPG	Pts/G
Denver Broncos	291.3 (4th)	111.6 (15th)	30.1 (2nd)
Kansas City Chiefs	256.1 (10th)	119.9 (10th)	22.1 (16th)
San Diego Chargers	198.9 (29th)	85.4 (30th)	21.8 (17th)

Within the division, the Raiders will face three quarterbacks who are excellent at avoiding mistakes. On top of that, Manning and Rivers are a a threat to have a big game every week. Given the questionable makeup of Oakland's secondary, the pressure to stop them will fall to the front seven.

The Raiders have a front seven build to stop the run. The deciding factor will be whether this same unit can also generate pressure on the opposing quarterback on a consistent basis.

As of now, the players primarily responsible for this will be Tuck, Mack and Edwards, but the entire front seven will share in the responsibility. They have to be able to not only get to the quarterback consistently but actually get him to the ground. This will make or break the fortunes of the defense.

On the other hand, if the front seven can't sack the quarterback, the secondary will be picked apart in the same way it was last year.

Predictions vs. AFC West in 2015

When taking into account all of the roster movement across the division, here's a look at how the Raiders should do in the AFC West this upcoming season.

	Offense	Defense	Final Divisional Standings*
1	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos
2	Chargers	Raiders	Chargers
3	Raiders	Chiefs	Raiders
4	Chiefs	Chargers	Chiefs

*Divisional record, not overall record

With the influx of talent, the continued growth of last year's top performers and the addition of a new, more experienced coaching staff, the Raiders are in prime position to make a lot of noise in the AFC West.

The Broncos will continue to set the bar in the division. But the competition among the three remaining teams will be very tight.

On offense, the passing game will get most of the attention. But it's going to be the performance of the running backs that determines whether the unit succeeds or fails.

Defensively, the biggest problem is the secondary, and the solution is up front. It's all going to come down to quarterback hits, hurries and sacks.

The Raiders have a long shot of finishing second in the division. More realistically, the team should make finishing third its minimum goal. Being competitive in every game and earning three victories within the division are very attainable targets for this team.

That might not seem like much, but for a team such as Oakland, which is in the process of clawing its way out of the AFC West cellar, it's a start.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL.com.

Do you think the Raiders have done enough on both sides of the ball to make a major move up in the AFC West standings next season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.