The 5 Most Improved NFL Offenses From the 2015 Season
Oakland Raiders
2015 Rank: 19
2014 Rank: 31
Rise: 11 spots
Honorable mentions go to the Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Washington Redskins, as they also jumped 11 spots, but the Raiders won the tiebreaker by having the largest nominal improvement of Offensive Adjusted NEP.
A late season fade drove down his seasonal Passing NEP ranking, but there was still a clear improvement in Derek Carr’s passing this season. His last five games, where he threw only eight touchdown passes versus seven interceptions, led to a 25th-place finish in Passing NEP per play, which was still better than those of big-name passers Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning.
Arguably more useful in fantasy football than for the Raiders, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree both grabbed headlines but finished in the bottom half in Target NEP among wide receivers with 80 or more targets. Still, if we’re evaluating them based on whom they replaced, Cooper and Crabtree were crucial additions for Oakland. Getting a full season as the starter, Latavius Murray failed to take advantage of his opportunity and was one of the least-efficient high-volume NFL running backs both on the ground and through the air.
