After another blowout loss, the Las Vegas Raiders have entered the “Could [insert college team] beat the Raiders?” discussion. It’d be hard to argue that Indiana or Ohio State couldn’t at least give them a game. Hell, maybe even James Maddison gives Las Vegas a run for its money!
Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But the Silver and Black sit at the bottom of the Week 16 NFL Power Rankings across the media, and ranking 33rd in the 32-team league would honestly feel more appropriate at this point.
Sports Illustrated
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
Woah. A wild stat from the AP: the Raiders’ loss to Philadelphia drops the team to a .500 record since the AFL merger. A perfect 434-434-6 and the first time since 1970 that the team has not had a winning record as a franchise. — Conor Orr
Once considered the “Team of the Decades”, this franchise has really fallen off since the early 2000s. The past 20 years have been a constant cycle of dysfunction that doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. The hope is that Tom Brady’s championship pedigree is the perfect antidote for the disease(s) that have plagued the Raiders, but Brady’s first full season as owner hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.
NFL.com
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
The Raiders now boast a pair of 31-zip losses this season in which the offense failed to reach 100 total yards and the defense allowed more than 350. Not many teams can claim this, so the Raiders certainly have put themselves in rare air indeed. They’ve lost eight straight games and eight total this season by double-digit points. Sunday was also the ninth time they’ve failed to top the 17-point mark offensively in what has been an utter disaster of a season in Pete Carroll’s first year. Will he get a second? Does he even want another crack at fixing this? Even with a few clear building blocks, this looks like a massive reconstruction that requires time and patience, and at 74, it’s fair to wonder if Carroll has the gumption for that — or even the opportunity, depending on what management decides in a few weeks. — Eric Edholm
For comparison, the 2024 Raiders lost nine games by double digits and didn’t score more than 17 points just five times. I get the feeling they’re in for another two-possession or more loss this weekend against the Houston Texans to pull even with last year’s team. Also, there were a lot of games where they were competitive for about three quarters and the other team pulled away late, while Las Vegas has been getting blown out from the jump a lot this season.
ESPN
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
Extension candidate: Cornerback Eric Stokes
The Raiders’ starting cornerback is one of the few players who made a strong case to get an extension this offseason. Stokes has given up a completion rate of 58.1% and a passer rating of 93.6 — the lowest of his career. Despite Las Vegas’ struggles, Stokes told ESPN that he loves the organization and would be open to returning. “If the opportunity is there, heck yeah,” he said. “If not, I can’t be sad about it. It’s business.” — Ryan McFadden
It will be interesting to see what Stokes’ market is this offseason. I can agree that he’s played well enough to earn an extension, but I’d still be cautious about giving him a long-term contract with much guaranteed money beyond the first year of a new deal. For comparison, the New York Giants signed Paulson Adebo to a three-year, $54 million ($18 million per year) contract with $38.5 million guaranteed, per Over The Cap. Personally, if that’s what Stokes is looking for, I’d pass.
Bleacher Report
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
An opportunity to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza is all that matters to the Raiders at this point in time. Sure, the coaches and players in the locker room still want to win. If that actually happened, the Raiders would be taking a step back.
Right now, Las Vegas features the league’s worst quarterback situation. It’s been that way for some time. The Raiders also own a top-three draft pick if the regular season ended today. Las Vegas can’t miss another opportunity to address the game’s most important position with a legitimate prospect. — Brent Sobleski
With the draft order and strength of schedule as is, the Raiders would own the No. 6 pick and would be one spot behind the New York Jets, per Tankathon. The latter is especially significant because Las Vegas and New York appear to be the two main players in the Mendoza sweepstakes. So, it’s a race to see who can lose out. The Jets finish the season with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, while the Raiders play the Texans, New York Giants and Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs.
The Athletic
32. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 32
MVP: Maxx Crosby
The Raiders are desperately trying to catch the Titans for the worst point differential in the league. Sunday helped as Las Vegas was outgained 387-75 in a game that lasted just two hours and 31 minutes. At least Crosby got another sack. He’s 10th in the league with 10 now. — Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
This is the fourth time in seven seasons and the third time in the last four years that Crosby has reached double sacks. He’s also second behind Myles Garrett (32) with a career-high 26 TFLs, recorded his first interception, has six passes defended and has the third-most tackles of his career with 67. Statistically, Crosby is putting together one of his best campaigns, but it’s all gone for naught while playing for a 2-12 team. Hopefully, he at least gets a Pro Bowl bid out of this.
