The Oakland Raiders and head coach Jon Gruden have been the source of many a punchline since the two reunited in 2018. Whether it was last year’s train wreck of a season Youth Travis Fulgham Jersey , or the organizational dysfunction that was on display on “Hard Knocks” this year—particularly as it pertained to the Antonio Brown situation—no one has really taken the Raiders seriously since Gruden returned.However, that’s starting to change. The Raiders are off to a 3-4 start, with wins over the division-leading Colts and an upset win over the Bears. Of course, this is the Raiders we’re talking about, so not everything is running smoothly. Let’s take a closer look at the Detroit Lions’ Week 9 opponent. Oakland RaidersLast season:4-12 record (4th in AFC West)28th in points scored, 32nd in points allowedOverall DVOA: 31st (25th on offense, 30th on defense)2018 offseasonKey free agent additions: WR Antonio Brown (cut), OT Trent Brown, CB Lamarcus Joyner, WR Tyrell Williams, LB Vontaze Burfict (suspended), G Richie Incognito, CB Nevin Lawson, S Curtis RileyKey losses: RB Marshawn Lynch, WR Jordy Nelson White Travis Fulgham Jersey , TE Jared Cook, OT Donald Penn, DE Kony Ealy, CB Rashaan Melvin 2019 NFL draft picks:Round 1 - DE Clelin FerrellRound 1 - RB Josh JacobsRound 1 - S Johnathan AbramRound 2 - CB Trayvon MullenRound 4 - DE Maxx CrosbyRound 4 - CB Isaiah JohnsonRound 4 - TE Foster Moreau Round 5 - WR Hunter RenfrowRound 7 - DE Quinton Bell Last year, the Oakland Raiders were arguably the worst team in the NFL. But you can see just how much of a roster overhaul they went through this offseason. They made a few splash signings in free agency in offensive tackle Trent Brown and safety Lamarcus Joyner. They also made the regrettable move of trading for Antonio Brown. Throw in three first round picks, and this roster is barely recognizable from where it was last year. In fact, their initial 53-man roster this year featured 35 players who weren’t on the team last season. 22 percent of their initial 53-man roster was rookie players.While that’s not exactly a recipe for immediate success, it was clearly the right strategy after last year’s failures. With a specific focus on improving in the trenches and creating balance on offense, the Raiders definitely look improved from last season. Raiders 2019 season (3-4)Week 1: Win over Broncos, 24-16Week 2: Loss to Chiefs, 10-28Week 3: Loss to Vikings, 14-34Week 4: Win over Colts, 31-24Week 5: Win over Bears, 24-21Week 6: BYE Week 7: Loss to Packers, 24-42Week 8: Loss to Texans Danny Amendola Jersey , 24-27Stats:18th in points scored; 28th in points allowed17th in DVOA (8th on offense, 28th on defense)The biggest improvement for the Raiders this year has been their rushing attack. Last year, this unit ranked 29th in DVOA. This year with the help of rookie running back Josh Jacobs they’re already up to ninth. Jacobs is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (88.6) and just outside the top 10 in yards per carry (5.0). A balanced offense has helped Derek Carr resurrect his career. Even with a ragtag group of receivers, Carr’s numbers have increased drastically from last year. Take a look:2018: 68.9 completion percentage, 7.3 Y/A, 93.9 passer rating2019: 72.1 completion percentage, 7.7 Y/A, 103.6 passer ratingDefensively, however, this team continues to struggle. Losing first-round rookie Johnathan Abram didn’t help and Oakland’s linebacking corps has been decimated by injury (Marquel Lee) and suspension (Vontaze Burfict). To give you a sense of how much this entire defense is struggling, their highest-graded player according to PFF is Nevin Lawson (77.0) and by a fairly large margin. (Note: Lawson has only played in one game after serving a suspension). Oakland is particularly vulnerable through the air, allowing the fifth highest passer rating in the league (115.5) without much of a pass rush (13 sacks, t-25th). They’ve allowed 19 passing touchdowns (t-second most) while only notching three interceptions (t-fifth fewest). Key injuries: S Johnathan Abram (IR), RB Isaiah Crowell (IR), LB Marquel Lee (IR) Trey Flowers Jersey , C Rodney HudsonThough the Raiders lost a few key guys earlier in the season, they’re entering Week 9 fairly healthy. The biggest concern right now is starting center Rodney Hudson, who will reportedly be out a few weeks after suffering an ankle injury last week. Hudson is a two-time Pro Bowler, so his absence will certainly be felt going forward. That’s especially true when you consider his backup, Andre James, is an undrafted rookie who saw his first NFL action last week. All things considered, James did well as a mid-game replacement, but he’s certainly the weak point on a fairly strong offensive line. Biggest strength: Tight endThe Lions have face a lot of good tight ends recently, and this week will be no exception. Introducing, Darren Waller. Waller had a tumultuous start to his NFL career, failing to make any sort of impact with the Ravens, the team that drafted him in 2015.But Waller has come out of nowhere this season and just killed it every week. He already has 46 receptions on the year for 496 yards and three scores. He ranks in the top five of those categories.With a young, raw receiving corps, Waller is the main focus of this passing attack, and he is thriving. Biggest weakness: SecondaryAs previously mentioned Damon Harrison Jersey , the Raiders’ entire defense has really struggled this year. They can’t create pressure, they can’t cover receivers. Really, the only thing they seem to do well is stop the run, thanks to strong interior defenders in P.J. Hall and Johnathan Hankins. But the secondary is a mess. Former Rams second-round pick Lamarcus Joyner is having an awful first year with the Raiders as their slot corner. Raiders 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley was playing so poorly that Oakland just shipped him to Houston for a third-round pick, despite the fact that the Raiders only had Nevin Lawson waiting in the wings. Opposing quarterbacks are beating the Raiders’ secondary with ease this year and there doesn’t appear to be a solution in sight. Vegas line for Sunday: Raiders by 2 As we head into the weekend, suddenly the floodgates are opening with Detroit Lions rumors. First, there was the report that the Lions were interested in Steve Sarkisian and Nathaniel Hackett for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Then we heard that Hackett actually scored an interview. Now, it appears a third name has entered the race.According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Lions are one of three teams set to interview Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken:Monken is an interesting candidate to emerge, mostly because of his affinity for passing the ball and big plays—something this coaching staff seems somewhat averse to. Take, for example, this quote from Monken:That doesn’t exactly fit the mold of a team that has been harping on running the ball in December to be successful, or the team that spent the last four months grinding out long-lasting possessions with a dink-and-dunk offense.Of course, that dink-and-dunk offense resulted in one of the worst offensive outputs for the Lions in years. The Buccaneers, on the other hand Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , had one of the wildest years offensively. They ranked 12th in points scored, third in yards, and 12th in DVOA. Perhaps most interesting, Monken’s offense ranked ninth in passing DVOA but just 23rd in rushing DVOA—which seems to go against the philosophy the Lions were transitioning to in 2018.We’ll see in the upcoming days whether the Lions’ interest is real. If they’re interested, they’ll also have to convince Monken to come to Detroit, which may be easier considering the Browns and Packers have head coaches with offensive backgrounds, meaning Monken could have more freedom with the Lions. It seems likely Monken will land some job, as he already interviewed for several head coaching jobs, and he apparently “crushed” those interview (though, obviously, not enough to actually land the jobs).FOLLOW ALL THE LIONS COACHING NEWS AND RUMORS HERE.