Las Vegas strolls into the bye with a 4-3 record after the first seven weeks of the campaign and ends 9-8 overall with two wins at the end of the year to not only bolster confidence, but show the team is building a foundation of what’s to come in following years.

Pete Carroll has made it clear since his introductory news conference in January that he intends to win now, and he and the Raiders have taken steps to be more competitive, such as trading for veteran quarterback Geno Smith.