Despite being forced to fire head coach Jon Gruden in-season, the Raiders made the 2021 NFL Playoffs. Still, it was not enough for interim head coach Rich Bisaccia to earn the full-time gig. Owner Mark Davis chose to remake his front office and coaching staff. In turn, he hired general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels arrives after two highly successful NFL odds stints as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Sandwiched between those two tenures was a disastrous stint as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Las Vegas Raiders Future Odds at SBG
| Prop | Odds |
|---|---|
| To win the Super Bowl | +4000 |
| To win the AFC | +2000 |
| To win the AFC West | +600 |
| Over/Under Win Total | 8.5 |
A Commitment to Excellence Erodes – Raiders Tumultuous History
Once upon a time, the Las Vegas Raiders were the winningest franchise in professional sports. From 1967 through 2002, the Raiders had the highest winning percentage of all teams in the major professional sports. During that time, the Raiders won three Super Bowl championships and threatened several more. Just as incredible are the humble beginnings of the franchise.
At the beginning, the Raiders were born in 1960 as charter members of the American Football League. They have been in the same AFC West division with the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos from the start of operations.
In the Raiders’ early years were heavy offshore betting losses on the field and the balance sheet. The team nearly folded on multiple occasions. But in 1963, Al Davis was the dynamic leader that changed everything. Davis took over as head coach and general manager in 1963. Subsequently, he improved the Raiders from 1-13 to 10-4 as a rookie. Davis changed the team colors to silver and black and made the team in his image.
However, the final years of the Davis era were sad and pathetic. The Raiders turned into consistently big losers. Also, they played before a dilapidated and half-empty Oakland Coliseum. When Al Davis died, the team passed to his son Mark. Knowing he needed a jolt of increased revenue to survive, Mark Davis moved the team to Las Vegas and sparkling new Allegiant Stadium in 2020.
Last year’s playoff berth has made the Raiders optimistic about their future in Sin City. And there is excitement with new head coach Josh McDaniels.
Raiders Change and Grow
Previously, McDaniels apologists say that he was too young and immature to have been a head coach at Denver. Raiders fans hope that is the case. Especially considering the spotty record of the Bill Belichick coaching tree.
In week five, the Raiders have a high-profile week five ESPN Monday Night Football appearance at the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs and Raiders once had one of the hottest rivalries in sports history. Consider the fact that both teams are NFL betting odds contenders. Certainly, that factor will add to the excitement.
In week 14, the Raiders have a Thursday night Prime Video date at the Los Angeles Rams. Following that is an NBC Sunday Night Football game against McDaniels’ old team, the New England Patriots. And then, in week 16, the Raiders are at the Pittsburgh Steelers on NFL Network in a Christmas Eve prime-time special.