Does Las Vegas get more respect after finally winning a game?
The Las Vegas Raiders got their first win since September and ended a 10-game losing streak by defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. That helped boost the Raiders in most NFL Power Rankings, but Las Vegas sliding in the NFL Draft order has also been a hot topic of discussion.
ESPN
31. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
Rookie of the year: Tight end Brock Bowers
From “Brocktimus Prime” to the “Brocket Man,” no nickname leveled upon Bowers yet by Raiders radio announcer Jason Horowitz has quite captured the rookie’s impact upon the team. His 101 catches are tied for second in the NFL and already a league record for most catches in a season by a rookie tight end. He is five catches away from breaking Puka Nacua’s year-old record for most receptions by any rookie and needs just 10 yards to break Mike Ditka’s record (1,077) for most receiving yards in a season by a first-year tight end. Bowers is in line to become the fourth rookie tight end in league history named first-team All-Pro. — Paul Gutierrez
This ranking doesn’t make any sense. While the Raiders are undoubtedly one of the league’s worst teams, ESPN has them behind the Jaguars, who they just beat. I guess the argument is both clubs are looking toward the future so wins and losses don’t mean much at this stage. Since Jacksonville has a quarterback and a lower pick than Las Vegas, they get the nod. But this seems weird for a 2024 power ranking.
The Athletic
28. Las Vegas Raiders
Las week: 31
The big question: How much is Tom Brady involved?
Brady’s minority ownership is costing him the ability to properly prepare for his new job as a FOX color analyst because he’s not allowed into production meetings with other teams, but we don’t know how much it’s going to help the Raiders. Las Vegas is expected to be hiring a head coach and drafting a quarterback this offseason. Those are subjects Brady is surely to feel strongly about, but we don’t know yet how much influence he will have. The Raiders dropped to sixth in the draft with Sunday’s win. — Josh Kendall
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Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Mark Davis has made it pretty clear that the plan is for Brady to have a significant role in the football operations moving forward. Davis has always leaned on a group of advisors to make decisions, such as hiring a new head coach, so if Antonio Pierce is indeed fired, Brady will undoubtedly have Davis’ ear in that search. In all likelihood, the organization’s new minority owner will work with Tom Telesco to find a new quarterback as well.
Yahoo!
28. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 30
Teams want to win. Fans believe all teams are tanking for draft position, but that almost never happens. However, did the Raiders’ win vs. the Jags, which knocked them back to No. 6 in the draft order, cost them a shot at a quarterback they like next April? Maybe. — Frank Schwab
Las Vegas’ path to drafting a quarterback certainly got murkier with Sunday’s win. Instead of having the club’s pick of the litter with the No. 1 overall pick or ensuring they have a chance at either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward by drafting second overall, the Silver and Black currently sit behind three quarterback-needy teams; the Giants, Titans and Browns. The good news is Tennessee plays Jacksonville this weekend and we saw how bad the latter is last Sunday.
Bleacher Report
28. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
The Raiders won their previous game but may have lost their shot at a young quarterback of the future. With a win over Jacksonville, Las Vegas dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 in the draft order. Barring a move to trade up, the Raiders will likely miss out on Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in the top five. The front office could gauge the free-agent market and take a signal-caller on Day 2 of the draft for a true quarterback competition next summer. — Moe Moton
As mentioned above, the Jaguars and Titans play this week so the Raiders will still have a top-five pick with a loss to the Saints this weekend. However, to Moton’s point, what really matters is Tennessee winning since the coaching staff recently benched Will Levis, signaling that it’s moving on from him. Barring someone else getting released, the free-agent class at quarterback is pretty uninspiring as Sam Darnold headlines it, and Minnesota might not let him leave given how this season has played out.
Sports Illustrated
30. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 31
A healthy Kirk Cousins and eight wins in 2024 instead of Shedeur Sanders. — Conor Orr
Orr kept it short and sweet this week and just gave every team a holiday gift. But anyone who watched Cousins on Monday Night Football in Las Vegas should be against this. He turns 37 in August and has a dead arm, he’s cooked. According to Spotrac, Cousins has made almost $300 million in his career, so he has more than enough money and retiring feels like the best move for the nearly 40-year-old.
