The Las Vegas Raiders made a surprising move this week by firing head coach Josh McDaniels. A six-time Super Bowl champ as an assistant with the New England Patriots, McDaniels could not repeat that success with the Raiders, finishing with a 9-16 record in a season-and-a-half.
When a franchise fires a head coach, things can go one of two ways. One, the team improves immediately as it becomes clear that the head coach was an issue. Players display more motivation and play harder and with more freedom than before. Or two, the team continues in its downward spiral, a sign that the on-field struggles were symptoms of a bigger issue than the head coach.
Not only will the Raiders respond to life without Josh McDaniels, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce that rookie Aidan O'Connell will be the team's starting quarterback, replacing veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo struggled this season, posting a passer rating of 78.1 while throwing a league-high nine interceptions.
How will the Raiders respond to these changes? With six of their last nine games at home, here are game-by-game predictions for Las Vegas after the Josh McDaniel firing.
Raiders rest of season predictions
Week 9: vs. New York Giants
Only two NFL teams are averaging fewer points per game this season than the Raiders: the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. This Week 9 contest will be far from riveting, but it should give Las Vegas an easier transition out of the Josh McDaniels era. This game is going to be an ugly fight between two struggling teams. The Raiders pull out a close one.
Prediction: Raiders win, 17-14
Week 10: vs. New York Jets
In Week 10, the Raiders welcome the other team from the Meadowlands to Las Vegas. While still not a great team, the Jets will be better on both sides of the ball and will cause some serious problems for the home team.
Prediction: Raiders lose, 21-10
Week 11: at Miami Dolphins
Few matchups will scare any NFL team more this season than a visit to South Florida. The Dolphins are undefeated at home this season, winning all four of those contests by at least two touchdowns. The Raiders should be able to put up some points against a weak Dolphins defense, but Miami has too much firepower offensively.
Prediction: Raiders lose, 35-21
Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Four of Las Vegas' last six games come against AFC West opponents, including two contests against rivals the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs offense has lacked its usual pizzazz, ranking just 12th in the NFL in points per game, but this Kansas City defense has picked up the slack, allowing the second-fewest points in the league. Still, even the lowly Denver Broncos have shown that the Chiefs are fallible defeating the defending Super Bowl Champs 24-9 in Week 8. Kansas City still wins this one, but it will not be a blowout.
Prediction: Raiders lose, 24-13
Week 13: Bye
Week 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Who will be the Vikings starting QB by Week 14? Jaren Hall — a rookie fifth-round pick out of BYU — will make the start in Week 9, but with backup Nick Mullens eligible to come off the IR in Week 10 plus the acquisition of Arizona Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs, it is anyone's guess who will be the Minnesota signal-caller a month from now. But it will not matter for Las Vegas. Aidan O'Connell will have his best game of the year as he finally demonstrates chemistry with Davante Adams.
Prediction: Raiders win, 28-21
Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Though the Chargers' 3-4 record does not suggest a great football team, three of LA's four defeats have come by three points or less. If the Chargers can figure out how to win close games, this team will be scary in the second half. Expect the Chargers to be rolling late in the season, while the Raiders are unable to reproduce their Week 14 magic.
Prediction: Raiders lose, 28-17
Week 16: at Kansas City Chiefs
This week 16 matchup in Kansas City will be one of the toughest contests the Raiders play in the second half of the season. The Raiders have one win in their last 10 games at Arrowhead Stadium and the Chiefs have won 12 straight home contests in the month of December. This could get ugly.
Prediction: Raiders lose 24-3
Week 17: at Indianapolis Colts
After a rough stretch of games, the Raiders should face a slightly easier opponent in the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts offense has shown the ability to score points, but their defense has given up at least four touchdowns on five occasions this year. A high-scoring game goes the way of the Raiders.
Prediction: Raiders win 31-24
Week 18: vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos pulled off one of the upsets of the season in Week 8, defeating the mighty Kansas City Chiefs 24-9. With the team on a two-game winning streak, can Denver maintain that momentum moving forward? Quarterback play will be the key here, as veteran Russell Wilson ekes out a win in a meaningless game for both teams.
Prediction: Raiders lose 14-13
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