The Las Vegas Raiders are a completely new-look team for the 2025 NFL season, as Pete Carroll and John Spytek got rid of the stink from last year's four-win squad. Still, these changes were not enough for most around the league to believe in their chances.
Before Week 1, the Raiders were ranked 27th in NFL Spin Zone's power rankings. Despite immense offensive improvements, they cited a weak defense defined by draft busts and reclamation projects as a reason they would remain toward the bottom of the NFL.
Las Vegas then stunned the league by traveling to the East Coast and taking down the New England Patriots on opening weekend. Not only did the offense have some big moments, but the defense was stout, holding New England to just 13 points, only 3 of which came in the second half.
Raiders land at No. 20 in latest NFL power rankings after win vs. Patriots
At the conclusion of Week 1, NFL Spin Zone was at it again with their power rankings. This time, Lou Scataglia took the lead, and he had the Raiders climb seven spots to No. 20 after their Week 1 victory against the Patriots.
"The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots on Sunday in a solid win. Geno Smith was throwing the ball all over the place and had a ton of downfield completions. The Raiders aren’t a perfect team, but they did get the season started on the right foot," Scataglia wrote. "Their ceiling is in question given how hollow their roster is and how deep the AFC West is, let alone the entire [conference]. I don’t anticipate this team being all that special in 2025. They’re 20th in our power rankings."
Jumping up seven spots after one week is a solid improvement, but the Raiders are still considered in the bottom third of NFL teams based on this ranking. They're slotted behind teams like the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons, both of whom performed far worse in Week 1.
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Scataglia is correct that the Raiders play in a difficult division, but how they stack up cannot truly be put to the test until they take on their AFC West foes. That will start in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football.
As for the rest of the division, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped to 13, the Denver Broncos somehow remained at No. 8 despite a shaky win at home against a rookie quarterback on one of the worst teams in the league, and the Los Angeles Chargers rose to No. 5.
If Las Vegas can string together victories, especially in the next two weeks against the Chargers and Washington Commanders, then it should not be long until they are flying up this list, not just making slight improvements.