On offense :

• Amari Cooper grows into a true #1 WR by midseason
• Rod Streater fully recovers from injury and improves on his previous season, becoming a legitimate threat opposite Cooper
• Michael Crabtree is fully healed, motivated, and dangerously effective as an intermediate, mid-field weapon
• Rookie TE Clive Walford becomes a reliable TE target by end of season
• New OC Musgrave figures out how to use FB Marcel Reece as a downfield mismatch weapon
• LT Donald Penn improves on his year last year and provides strong pass pro
• Austin Howard returns to his natural RT position and is Pro Bowl-level
• Newly signed FA C Rodney Hudson is the devastating, mauling center the Raiders have missed since Barrett Robbins
• LG Gabe Jackson improves on his rookie year
• Someone has to step up and hold down the RG position, whether rookie 4th rounder Feliciano or Khalif barnes.
• Menelik Watson stays healthy all year and becomes a viable player
• The offensive line as a whole has to function well, stay injury free, and improve substantially on their run blocking
• RB Latavius Murray stays healthy and proves to be a workhorse back
• Backup RBs Trent Richardson and Roy Helu need to be serviceable as needed, particularly with Helu providing change of pace and some big plays
• Derek Carr has to take a major step forward, improving his decision making and his overall effectiveness. Has to have near-immeidate chemistry, comfort, and trust with his receivers

On Defense :

• Khalil Mack improves on his year, particularly in pass rushing. Mack needs to become a weapon against the passing game; he showed flashes of it in 2014 like in the SF and BUF games.
  
• Sio Moore has to come back fully healthy, keep providing the Energy to the defense, and stop doing stupid things.
• 11th year vet, 32yo Justin Tuck has to hold up another year
• Rookie 2nd rounder Mario Williams has to become a viable defensive threat by mid-season, providing stability and a pass rushing threat opposite (or next to) Mack
• Dan Williams is as effective a NT as he was in Arizona
• Justin Ellis steps in as the starter, replacing Antonio Smith, and needs to provide an interior push
• One of the rotational DL has to step up and become a threat. 3rd year Benson Mayowa, rookie Max Valles, Shelby Harris, etc.
• Newly signed MLB Curtis Lofton has to show he's more the Falcons' version than the Saints version, lock down the Middle of the field and help control opposing running game.
• Young LB corps will mostly provide S/T value, but one or two of them needs to step up, hopefully rookies Neiron Ball and/or Ben Heeney.
  
• If Lofton goes down, there needs to be a viable replacement so as to not repeat the Miles Burris Experiment from 2014
• young Defensive secondary has to really put it together. DJ Hayden needs to establish himself as worth #12 overall pick and play more consistently and become a big play defender
• The young CBs corps of DJ Hayden, TJ Carrie, Neiko Thorpe, Keith McGill have to provide at least 2 high performers.
• CWood is on his last legs and the defense needs to limit his misstackles and poor plays, while allowing him use his knowledge to make some big plays. Nate Allen, Brandian Ross, Larry Asante, Jonathan Dowlling have to give the Raiders 2 starting caliber players. Ross already appears ready to break thru. Free agent signee Allen has to prove McKenzie right.
• Large turnover again in the defense, inclduign coaching staff. The defense has to come together much faster than they had in any season under Dennis Allen/jason Tarver. Jack del Rio + ken norton jr have to get the team to gel quickly, so that there are none of those painful assignment breakdowns that were so prevalent the past 2 years

Finally,

Perhaps most importantly for the Raiders to step forward and have a chacne at the Superbowl is for the AFC West overall to take a stpe backwards. If Denver performs as it has the past 2 years, it will be monumental task to win it out. But if the Broncos struggle, if Peyton's effectiveness diminishes and the offense suffers a few injuries, then it may open things up for the raiders

The Raiders also need the Chiefs and Chargers to struggle at sub-.500 levels and remain beatable. If they improve, again, it makes things possibly too difficult for the Raiders to win out.

Once in the playoffs, anything can happen, and it would be counting on AC/DC to get hot and Superman (Khalil) + Super mario + to go crazy and for the secondary to lock things down.