National media has a lot more respect for the Raiders than their record shows
The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-4, yes, but there are moral victories to be taken. Usually, we wouldn't take those, but for a team that is 1-4, they should take anything they can get. This close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are the best team in the league by many accounts, is one […]
The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-4, yes, but there are moral victories to be taken. Usually, we wouldn't take those, but for a team that is 1-4, they should take anything they can get.
This close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are the best team in the league by many accounts, is one that should be a moral victory. The one-point loss on primetime TV is also a reason I think the national media is starting to realize the Raiders are better than their 1-4 record would suggest.
While we have known that others are just now realizing it, and now the Raiders are much higher in a recent power rankings report.
According to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, the Raiders are the 14th-best team in the league, which is a lot higher than many would expect, especially considering the record. Here is what Hanzus had to say in terms of where he ranked Las Vegas.
"The script is beyond tired for the Raiders. Josh McDaniels' team was once again on the wrong side of a coin-flip game, this time an excruciating 30-29 defeat to the Chiefs at Arrowhead that dropped Vegas into the AFC West cellar. The circumstances on Monday night were particularly cruel: Josh Jacobs came up inches short on a 2-point conversion try that would have put the Raiders ahead with 4:27 to play.
"On the ensuing possession, Davante Adams had a sideline reception to put the team in field-goal range in the final seconds wiped away by an official review. When Adams and Hunter Renfrow collided on the subsequent fourth-and-1 pass attempt, it was a fitting end to an infuriating night — another chapter in an infuriating season — for the team from the desert.
This team almost beat one of the best, or the best to many people, teams in the league, on the road, in one of the toughest places to play. I think you can argue that if Adams' foot doesn't step out, and that is ruled a catch, the Raiders could very well be 2-3 today.
But they aren't. Either way, the Raiders are one of two teams with less than three wins in the top 14. The other being the Cincinnati Bengals who are 2-3 and sit at ninth overall but are also coming off of a Super Bowl appearance in 2021. They are, though, the only one-win team in the top 25.
So, in a way, I guess you could say that the Raiders are earning people's respect. They are a team that hasn't lost a game yet by more than one touchdown, which is crazy to say out loud. This is a team that could very well be 5-0 right now if everything goes their way. Now, the national media is starting to see that as well.
You can read the rest of the power rankings article here.
Featured Image Via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
