Greetings from Las Vegas where the hometown Raiders will open their 2021 NFL season tonight at Allegiant Stadium with a tough assignment against the well-prepared Baltimore Ravens.
Kickoff time is set for 5:15 p.m. PT.
The road Ravens are a 4-point choice with a total of 50.
It's Jon Gruden against John Harbaugh.
Gruden always seems to win pregame press conferences with his series of one-liners and nonstop football jargon, but Harbaugh is likely to win tonight's postgame chat.
Strictly from a performance perspective, especially recent form, give the edge to the no-nonsense Harbaugh.
His teams always seem to fire in Week 1.
Over the past five season openers, the Ravens have outscored their opponents by a cumulative score of 177-26 for an average score of 35-5 or thereabouts.
That's getting in done on both sides of the football.
Gruden is adored by idolizing fans and sycophant media, but a closer look at Gruden's second stint with the Raiders reveals a 19-29 record over the past three seasons.
Optimistic supporters argue the arrow is pointing up for Gruden.
After a debut season of 4-12, Gruden then went 7-9 in 2019 before last year's mark of 8-8.
In 2018, the Raiders finished fourth in the AFC West, then finished third in 2019 and second last season.
Again, diehard followers point to the improving positions within the division.
Fans look at the bright side, gamblers focus on the right side.
Raider Nation loves to live in the past by discussing Super Bowl titles from the 1976, 1980 and 1983 NFL seasons.
After all, the Raider faithful cannot discuss any recent achievements.
Here's the cold truth from the hot desert: The Raiders have recorded only one winning season over the past 18 years (10-6 in 2016) and it appears a record of 8-9 is far more likely this season than a 9-8 mark.
Kickoff time is set for 5:15 p.m. PT.
The road Ravens are a 4-point choice with a total of 50.
It's Jon Gruden against John Harbaugh.
Gruden always seems to win pregame press conferences with his series of one-liners and nonstop football jargon, but Harbaugh is likely to win tonight's postgame chat.
Strictly from a performance perspective, especially recent form, give the edge to the no-nonsense Harbaugh.
His teams always seem to fire in Week 1.
Over the past five season openers, the Ravens have outscored their opponents by a cumulative score of 177-26 for an average score of 35-5 or thereabouts.
That's getting in done on both sides of the football.
Gruden is adored by idolizing fans and sycophant media, but a closer look at Gruden's second stint with the Raiders reveals a 19-29 record over the past three seasons.
Optimistic supporters argue the arrow is pointing up for Gruden.
After a debut season of 4-12, Gruden then went 7-9 in 2019 before last year's mark of 8-8.
In 2018, the Raiders finished fourth in the AFC West, then finished third in 2019 and second last season.
Again, diehard followers point to the improving positions within the division.
Fans look at the bright side, gamblers focus on the right side.
Raider Nation loves to live in the past by discussing Super Bowl titles from the 1976, 1980 and 1983 NFL seasons.
After all, the Raider faithful cannot discuss any recent achievements.
Here's the cold truth from the hot desert: The Raiders have recorded only one winning season over the past 18 years (10-6 in 2016) and it appears a record of 8-9 is far more likely this season than a 9-8 mark.