The Oakland Raiders were easy marks when they hired Jon Gruden — and, let’s face it, well before that, too. A 4-12 season made Gruden and his staff look outdated last year. They were mocked again during “Hard Knocks,” and the Antonio Brown saga added salt to the fresh wounds.
Now the Raiders have won three straight games and sit at 6-4, which is more victories than they’ve had in four of the previous seven seasons. This is a competitive football team, even with some narrow victories and a point differential of minus-25, that could head into a Week 13 matchup at Arrowhead with the Kansas City Chiefs with the AFC West crown on the line.