In August, an unnamed NFL executive suggested the now-present for the Oakland Raiders: get rid of Antonio Brown and Vontaze Burfict in the first place.

“My concern for Oakland would be veteran drama and that would be Antonio Brown, Vontaze Burfict and some other guys, and then confusion by the young guys,” said the unnamed executive in August, per Mike Sando of The Athletic.

The unnamed executive was right. Brown is no longer on the team; a good thing considering how much drama, anxiety, and media attention he brought to the team. Burfict is a member of the Raiders, but won't be playing again in 2019, as the NFL suspended him for the rest of the year for yet another dirty hit.

However, Brown and Burfict are no longer the story in Oakland. The Raiders are winning, and against good teams. In the last two weeks, they have beaten the Indianapolis Colts on the road and the Chicago Bears in London. In case your memory needs jogging, both are 3-2, went to the playoffs in 2018, and have expectations to be playing football in January.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Former NFL player Antonio Brown continues his odd tweets towards Caitlin Clark after the Fever rookie blocked him.

Randall Barnes ·

- Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark and former NFL Antonio Brown, with a big X over Antonio Brown,

Erin Achenbach ·

Cody Whitehair in a Raiders uniform

Ben Strauss ·

The Raiders — without Brown and Burfict — should also have expectations of extending their last season in Oakland. Though their 3-2 record puts them behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West race, they are not completely out of the race to win the division.

Jon Gruden is coaching well; he's getting production out of his quarterback Derek Carr and rookie running back Josh Jacobs. The defense has shown improvement after a disastrous 2018 campaign, and the team is still young — all that without Brown and Burfict.