Las Vegas Raiders make huge jump in latest NFL power rankings
By Brad Weiss
After a shocking win against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Las Vegas Raiders made a huge jump in NFL.com’s recent power rankings.
It has been a wild ride for the 2020 Las Vegas Raiders, who have had a tough schedule through the first five games of the season. They have had to go on the road three times, including this past weekend, where they went into Kansas City and beat the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
That win was a signature win for quarterback Derek Carr, who is doing everything he can to silence the critics this season. In fact, one could argue that he is a top-5 quarterback in the league this season, and Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden look like geniuses for sticking with him.
The win was not lost on the national media, as Las Vegas made a huge jump up the NFL.com power rankings.
Raiders jump from No. 21 to No. 13 overall
NFL.com writer Dan Hanzus recently released his latest 2020 NFL power rankings, and the Silver and Black made a huge jump. Las Vegas jumped from No. 21 overall to No. 13, the biggest jump of the weekend, and rightfully so.
The win against Kansas City, one that saw the Raiders take an early shot to the mouth, going down 14-3, but rally back thanks to Carr, and timely play from the defense. In addition, rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III looks to have superstar written all over him, and he made a major impact, going for over 110 yards and a touchdown.
Having him back in the lineup makes the Raiders offense extremely explosive, as was evident by them putting up nearly 500 yards of total offense. The much-maligned defense, led by defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, had Patrick Mahomes running for his life all game long, and really turned heads with their play despite being without Johnathan Hankins, Damon Arnette, and Maurice Hurst in the starting lineup.
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Based on this ranking, the Raiders are listed at No. 13 overall, but also as the No. 8-ranked team in the AFC. They have a lot of work to do after the bye week, but the schedule gets a lot softer down the road, and as they get healthier, they are a team that nobody wants to face.