The Las Vegas Raiders were just starting to earn respect entering Week 5. The team had won its first three games, then lost a close matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, who the league obviously respects. After the strong four weeks, analysts were starting to take the Raiders seriously, acknowledging that they may have quickly turned things around.
Unfortunately, Las Vegas’ Week 5 performance has halted all that momentum. The Raiders were dominated by the New England Patriots, losing 45-17. Since the Patriots haven’t even been all that good this year, the game was especially bad for Las Vegas’ bid to be taken seriously.
The Raiders will now have to start over in its attempt to gain respect as a serious team, and that was evident in the latest round of power rankings.
Raiders post-Week 5 power rankings sees experts questioning if Las Vegas has really changed
FanSided - Jason La Canfora
Current - 22
Last Week - 11
“The Patriots defense is bringing it right now. The brutal loss to the Chiefs the week before probably left a mark and this game snowballed away from them quickly. It happens. It's a tough part of the schedule but we buy the offensive approach under Klint Kubiak, and Fernando Mendoza got his feet wet, which is nice.”
Our take: La Canfora had a measured analysis, despite dropping the Raiders a steep 11 spots. He didn’t argue that Las Vegas is a fraud, instead making the case that the Raiders just ran into a team that’s finding its groove, and things quickly got away from Vegas. La Canfora is still a believer in what Vegas is building under Klint Kubiak, and one bad game shouldn’t change that.
ESPN - Ryan McFadden
Current - 17
Last Week - 11
“Growing pains in the secondary are showing. Rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses had a strong start, being named the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week after the Raiders' Week 2 win over the Chargers. But Masses has allowed nine catches, 155 yards, two touchdowns and a 60% completion rate the past three games. Against the Patriots, the Raiders' young trio of defensive backs -- Masses, rookie safety Treydan Stukes and second-year cornerback Darien Porter-- all struggled. Porter gave up a 49-yard reception to wide receiver Kyle Williams. Stukes gave up three catches for 59 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown in the first quarter.“
Our take: ESPN decided to focus on each team’s biggest issue on defense, and Raiders reporter Ryan McFadden nailed it, by highlighting the struggling secondary. Those issues were especially on display against New England, as Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 26-of-34 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns.
The secondary was routinely being beat deep, and if they can’t figure things out fast, Las Vegas will have a lot more games like Sunday.
NFL.com - Nick Shook
Current - 19
Last Week - 12
“The Raiders finally became the overmatched team we expected to see in 2026. Las Vegas’ defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed on Sunday, surrendering over 500 yards of offense to a unit that seemed lost just two weeks prior. An inability to protect Kirk Cousins (plus a continued lack of production from the ground game) prevented the offense from keeping up in a blowout loss. It’s certainly not time to consider benching Cousins for Fernando Mendoza, but the Raiders have officially encountered their first pothole and will need to divert accordingly in order to sustain the momentum built by a strong start.”
Our take: Nick Shook acknowledged that Las Vegas looked like the downtrodden team many people expected it to be entering the season, but he was hesitant to doom the team’s future to that fate, which is the right thought process. Sunday was a step in the wrong direction for the Raiders, but rebuilding teams are allowed to have those hiccups. Las Vegas just has to get back on track soon, and avoid any more regression.
Fox Sports - Ralph Vacchiano
Current - 16
Last Week - 14
“It was bound to strike midnight on the Raiders' Cinderella story at some point, and it always figured to happen sooner rather than later. There’s still a lot to like about this growing Raiders team, including the play of veteran QB Kirk Cousins. But their running game, with RB Ashton Jeanty, is still not good, and their defense looked even worse on Sunday.
Las Vegas was torn apart for 536 yards by a Patriots team that had one good game before this one. Maybe it’s all about Pats QB Drake Maye, who is clearly back, or maybe the Raiders are just what we always thought they were before the 3-0 start.
Hang on tight, if you’re still a believer, because the Bills, Rams, 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos come up over the next six weeks. Ouch.”
Our take: Ralph Vacchiano wasn’t so optimistic about Las Vegas’ outlook. While Raiders fans likely have more hope than him, Vacchiano does bring up a point that has fans’ attention: the schedule is about to get really hard. This doesn’t mean fans should just lose hope and give up on the season, but it is time for Las Vegas to show if it’s ready to compete right now, or if there’s still a lot of work to be done.
The Athletic - Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Current - 17
Last Week - 13
“The Raiders were exposed Sunday after a strong start to the season, largely on the back of wins over bad teams. But this trip to New England revealed a lot of flaws for Klint Kubiak and company. The defense was a total mess, allowing six touchdowns on 10 real drives.”
Our take: It’s unfair to say Las Vegas was exposed. While the team’s three wins did come against bad teams, that’s atleast a sign that the Raiders are a tier above them. Additionally, Las Vegas proved its competence in the narrow loss to Kansas City.
While the loss to New England was ugly, it should just be considered a blip unles it comes a trend.
Sports Illustrated - Conor Orr
Current - 16
Last Week - 10
“While I’m not overreacting at all to the Fernando Mendoza appearance at the end of the Patriots blowout, I do wonder if three straight losses at least generates some conversation. Something tells me the Raiders are dug in on this, but .500 after six weeks will change a lot of minds.”
Our take: Obviously, the hope is that Las Vegas doesn’t pick up a third straight loss; the team will have its hands full with the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, though. Even if the Raiders do lose, it probably won’t be Fernando Mendoza time. While the calls from outside the building might start, Las Vegas seems committed to sitting its young quarterback for now.
Bleacher Report - Kris Knox
Current - 18
Last Week - 10
“Even after consecutive losses, the Las Vegas Raiders are sitting at 3-2. Most Raiders fans would have taken that sort of start to the season, given the option to do so in August. However, things feel a lot different after a blowout loss to the New England Patriots than they felt following last week's close loss to the rival Chiefs.
Playing across the country with a less-than-100-percent Ashton Jeanty certainly didn't help Las Vegas. However, the Raiders' defense looked legitimately bad for the first time this season, and the lack of wide-receiver depth was glaring as Las Vegas tried to keep pace with Drake Maye and Co.”
Our take: Knox is right; the close loss to Kansas City had a positive spin. It served as a sign that the Raiders were a good team who just barely lost to another good team. What happened on Sunday against the Patriots was just flat out embarrassing, and it has people asking if the Raiders are back to being abysmal sag again.
Ultimately, what Las Vegas does next will deliver the verdict to that question.
Average Rank - 17.2
Average Rank Last Week - 11.6
Average Change - -5.6
Highest Rank - 16 (Sports Illustrated & Fox Sports)
Lowest Rank - 19 (NFL.com)
Biggest Rise - N/A
Biggest Drop - 11 (FanSided)
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