The Oakland Raiders had their best season in over a decade in 2016, finishing 12-4 and reaching the postseason.
If it were not for a season-ending injury to quarterback Derek Carr then they could have done some damage in the postseason, but they ended up falling to the Houston Texans in the Wildcard round with rookie Connor Cook under center.
With Carr back and some other additions in free agency, the Raiders have Super Bowl aspirations in the upcoming season.
A pair of Raiders legends, Tim Brown and Marcus Allen, recently weighed in on the Raiders chances, and Brown believes they have all the pieces to make it happen, via Nick Shook of NFL.com:
“They’re a very good football team,” Hall of Fame receiver Tim Brown said at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Golf Tournament in Truckee, California. “I think they proved last year that they are to be reckoned with. If not for the injury, who knows how last year turns out.
“I think the excitement should be really high in camp. And you can’t overlook the games you’ve got to play and start thinking about the Super Bowl right now. But I think if this team can stay together and of course, injuries are always going to play a part stay injury free, they have just as good a chance as anybody in the league, as far as I’m concerned, winning the whole thing.”
Allen believes they still have some aspects they need to improve on, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but he still thinks they can go all the way:
“Certainly, I just think they have to get better defensively,” the Hall of Fame running back said when asked if the Raiders’ title window is open. “I think they have tools on offense. They certainly have a quarterback. I think they have the receivers. I think they can move the ball and put points on the board.
“It sounds so cliché, but people do win championships. And you can’t outscore your opponent 40 to, you know you can’t put 40 points on the board every single night. Some days you’re going to struggle. You need that defense to step up. I think they need to get better on the back end.”
Brown and Allen both have been part of some special Raiders teams during their playing days, so the fact that they see the potential in this Raiders team says something.
