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Raiders Power Rankings Roundup: Las Vegas Proving to be Average
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- Raiders Power Rankings Roundup: Las Vegas Proving to be Average
After beating the Jets in Week 8, the Raiders have settled in as a mid-tier NFL team. The rest of the NFL has pegged Las Vegas as an average team.
So far, the Raiders have beaten up on the four bad teams on their schedule : Dolphins, Chargers, Saints and Jets. But Las Vegas has fallen to the four good (or competent) teams on the schedule: Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams.
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Where the Raiders are ranked:
USA Today: 15th
Sports Illustrated: 17th
Pro Football Talk: 17th
ESPN: 20th
What the experts are saying about the Raiders:
The focus out of Las Vegas, despite the win over the Jets, was the change in the backfield. Mike Washington handled 25 carries, while Ashton Jeanty was relegated to two carries.
"Ashton Jeanty has rushed for fewer than 50 yards in more than half of his 25 NFL starts. Not great," Nate Davis of USA Today wrote.
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"I can't be the only one who saw Klint Kubiak open the door just a smidge for Mike Washington Jr. and watched as Washington kicked the thing open, right? It's a different feel when the rookie out of Arkansas is in the backfield," Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated added.
Jeanty has been a massive disappointment since the Raiders selected him sixth overall in the 2025 draft. The offensive line hasn't been good in his time, but the Raiders never envisioned him struggling to top 50 yards on a weekly basis. General manager John Spytek should be getting more criticism for selecting Jeanty when the Raiders had so many more obvious flaws.
Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took a look to the future, as the Raiders play the 49ers in Week 9.
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"A Kirk Cousins-Kyle Shanahan reunion game is looming," Florio wrote.
The Raiders will have a huge test in San Francisco. Las Vegas has yet to beat a good team this season. The four teams Las Vegas has knocked off are a combined 5-24 on the season. The 49ers may be the best team in the NFL and are coming off of a bye week.
The 49ers also possess one of the best run defenses in the NFL, making Washington or Jeanty's chances at a productive day on the ground slim.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
