The Las Vegas Raiders were considered one of the worst teams in the NFL after Week 5's lopsided loss to the Indianapolis Colts. There were almost no redeemable performances in the contest, and the team looked dead in the water at 1-4 on the heels of the 40-6 defeat.
Fortunately, they had a get-right game waiting for them in Week 6, as they returned home to take on the Tennessee Titans. Not only were the Titans 1-4 as well, but their win came just a week prior against the Arizona Cardinals, and it was a bit fluky.
Plus, Tennessee was playing the final game of a three-game road stretch, which included two games in the Pacific Time Zone. This was Las Vegas' chance to prove that they were not the worst team in the NFL, even though some outlets ranked them as such.
Raiders move up three spots, remain toward bottom in NFL power rankings
Thankfully, a fairly convincing 20-10 win against the Titans at Allegiant Stadium was enough for them to make a small jump in the post-Week 6 NFL power rankings. NFL.com's Eric Edholm had the team move up from No. 31 to No. 28, which was expected but ultimately insignificant.
"The Raiders got back in the win column, ending their four-game losing streak with a victory over the hapless Titans, who fired their coach the day after the game. However, they didn’t exactly set the field on fire early and were lucky that Geno Smith’s fumble (followed by a Titans scoop and score) was nullified," Edholm wrote. "Smith also had a fourth-quarter pick and only played marginally better than he had to that point. Ashton Jeanty has found some rhythm over the past few games, and Michael Mayer has done a nice job without Brock Bowers, but there are only so many positives following a fairly bad game by both teams. The Raiders could come crashing back to earth this week at Arrowhead if they don’t play a lot better."
While the game was certainly not too impressive, considering the opponent and circumstances, the Raiders still deserve a bit of credit for rallying and pulling out a win. It was more dominant than Edholm is making it sound like, as the team jumped out to a 17-0 lead.
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Also, Las Vegas was not "lucky" that Geno Smith's "fumble" that led to a scoop and score did not count. They were the beneficiaries of the correct call, which was not a fumble. It's hard for Raider Nation to defend Smith and his turnovers these days, but that, at least, should be set straight.
Edholm is correct that Week 7 poses a much bigger challenge, as the Raiders will head into enemy territory, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are red-hot coming off a dominant primetime win over the Detroit Lions, and they look like they're back to the form fans expect from them.
Hopefully, the Raiders are feeling more confident heading into the matchup and can capitalize on some momentum they got from the win against the Titans. Third-place in the AFC West will be on the line because if Las Vegas can pull off the upset, both teams will be sitting at 3-4, and the Raiders would have the tiebreaker. That would certainly shoot them up the power rankings.