The 2013 season was not a good one for the Oakland Raiders. The silver and black finished in last place of the AFC West with a 4-12 record for the second consecutive year.
Oakland’s roster was nothing special, but there were a few bright spots including Sio Moore. Moore had 50 combined tackles with 12 assisted tackles and 4.5 sacks in his rookie season. He provided a much needed spark on the defense for the Raiders.
Rod Streater had some big plays for Oakland with 60 receptions for 888 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Mychal Rivera also showed promise with his 38 receptions for 407 yards and four touchdowns.
The Raiders let longtime punter, Shane Lechler, go last season via free agency because they had a young Marquette King ready to take over, and what a season he had. King punted 84 times last season averaging 48.9 yards per punt for a total of 4,107 yards. Inconsistency was the biggest concern with King heading into the season, but he was able to work that out in training camp.
Running back Rashad Jennings also had a nice season with his 733 yards and six touchdowns in 163 carries. Jennings was able to get playing time because the always injury prone, Darren McFadden, missed time due to hamstring and ankle issues.
Unfortunately, the Raiders suffered quite a few injuries throughout the season which contributed to their poor play. Safety Tyvon Branch only played the first two weeks after suffering a fractured fibula. Left tackle Jared Veldheer missed much of the season due to a tricep tear, which greatly affected the offensive line.
The quarterback situation in 2013 was also a mess in Oakland. Terrelle Pryor started the season for the Raiders, but after suffering a concussion, Matt Flynn took over, followed by Matt McGloin, who at first showed some promise, but struggled after a few weeks. It’s clear that the quarterback of the future is not currently on Oakland’s roster.
One of the most reliable members of the Raiders has always been kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, however this season was a disastrous one for Seabass. After a fantastic 2012 season where Janikowski hit 90.2% of his field goals, he made only 70% of his kicks in 2013; the worst in the league and his personal worst since 2005 where he hit 66.7%. There were some concerns with the holds by King, but a tough season for Seabass nonetheless.
The Raiders were ranked 23rd in total offense, scoring 322 points with 5,340 total yards and 322 points scored on the season.
Defensively, the Raiders were ranked 22nd, allowing 453 points and 5,819 total yards.
Head coach Dennis Allen has led this team to two consecutive 4-12 seasons. The roster is lacking talent and the injuries didn’t help either. The Raiders are clearly in rebuilding mode, but this offseason could drastically turn this team around for the better.