When the 2026 NFL season starts, it stands to reason that the Las Vegas Raiders and their fans may not have a ton to celebrate. This team is much-improved and could always surprise people, but they face a difficult schedule and are fending through an AFC West that is loaded with very good teams.
So, Raider Nation, let's get our licks in while we can.
It's not like the Silver and Black have much of a leg to stand on when criticizing their division foes, as they've gone 1-11 against them in the last two years. And the win was, well, in a game full of backups. Simply put, Las Vegas is in no position to be making cracks at the rest of the AFC West.
But... Raiders fans can laugh at the fact that a recent survey of NFL writers landed Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert among the league's most overrated players. Let us bask in that glory for a second. Perhaps we are not biased; we are not alone.
Raiders fans will love Bo Nix and Justin Herbert being listed among NFL's most overrated
In a survey conducted by FanSided, in which they polled writers who covered teams all around the league, nine players accrued enough mentions on ballots to be named among the league's most overrated players. Nix and Herbert were not just listed, but prevalent.
Herbert was listed as the fourth-most overrated player in the league:
"There is no denying how much raw talent Justin Herbert has. In fact, it's the exact reason why many consider him to be overrated. Herbert arguably has the most arm talent in the sport, is an underrated scrambler, and has put up numbers while chaos has ensued around him.Â
"The argument against Herbert is rather simple. Those who think he is overrated, as well as some frustrated Chargers fans, want Herbert to simply not look terrible in the playoffs. Wins aren't a QB stat, but it does matter that Herbert is 0-3 in the playoffs with three bad performances."
And while Herbert has certainly enjoyed plenty of success against the Silver and Black in his career, it is hard to argue with the idea that he hasn't really accomplished anything. Going 8-3 against the version of the Raiders that has taken the field in recent years doesn't really mean much. Sorry.
Nix has accomplished more than Herbert has in just two short years, winning a division title, a playoff game and making an appearance in the AFC Championship. And yet, Nix came in as the most overrated player in the NFL in this survey, by a solid margin.
"Bo Nix had fewer first-place votes than Caleb Williams but he showed up on far more ballots. Eleven different FanSided experts named Nix as one of the most overrated players in the league, officially giving him the No. 1 spot on this list.Â
"Like Williams, Nix is a victim of his own success. He and Sean Payton have reinvented the Denver Broncos, who despite their success in the regular season and playoffs, have not been taken seriously as a true Super Bowl-caliber team. Heck, the Broncos were arguably a Nix injury away from making (and potentially winning) the Super Bowl last year.Â
"But that doesn't matter. Whether it be due to his defense, the weapons around him, or his offensive-minded head coach, Nix's success as a pro is not reflective of how FanSided experts view him. Is a Super Bowl the only way to break that narrative? Perhaps."
For full transparency, I was a part of this survey, and I included Nix on my ballot. I did not have Herbert on mine. The reason I put Nix on there is that I feel like many other quarterbacks could have success with that great of an offensive line and a defense, and Herbert has really been up against it at times.
Now, the fact that two rival quarterbacks of the Raiders are on here is a double-edged sword. Is it funny to laugh at these players for being given a label that nobody wants? Absolutely. But it also means that Las Vegas faces two very highly-rated quarterbacks a total of four times per year.
And we haven't even talked about Patrick Mahomes.
At this moment, everything about the Silver and Black is "underrated" because, well, nobody thinks that the Raiders will amount to anything. I suppose I'd rather be underrated than overrated, but it would also be nice for the perception around Las Vegas to be much higher.
In the meantime, let's enjoy this Raiders team flying under the radar and those around the NFL thinking that two of our greatest foes are billed too highly. It'll all shake out how it does during the regular season, but as I love saying, the offseason is a time for unbridled optimism.
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