With the Las Vegas Raiders sitting at 3-3 and riding a three-game losing streak, no less, the opinions of this football team are understandably varied. It was premature to crown this young squad after an undefeated start, but it would be equally untimely to give up on them after a slide against strong foes.
Following last week's blowout loss, the Silver and Black universally tumbled in the power rankings. And while records matter more than power rankings, the Raiders are also losing their grip on whatever lead or advantage they had in the AFC West to begin the 2026 NFL season.
So, as we do every Tuesday at the conclusion of the week's slate of games, let's dive into the power rankings after Week 6. Las Vegas' close loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills didn't do too much damage to the Raiders' reputation, but they are now firmly in the league's bottom half.
Raiders post-Week 6 power rankings have them inching down and settling into the bottom half
FanSided - Jason La Canfora
Current - 19
Last Week - 22
"They are really close to being a one-loss team. They gave the Chiefs all they could take and they gave the Bills a heck of a game on Sunday and the schedule is certainly very rough right now. But they were so noncompetitive for so long that I feel the need to give them a little bump and keep them in the teens and not the 20s."
Our take: La Canfora is right - this team is so close to being 5-1 in a way. While nobody wants a pity bump in the rankings, 19 sounds about right, based on what the last three weeks have shown. And moving up compared to last week's meltdown feels appropriate as well. The Raiders are right there.
Current - 18
Last Week - 17
"Las Vegas signed center Tyler Linderbaum with the expectation that he would fix the team's run-blocking issues from last season. Instead, those have continued, especially Sunday, when the Raiders totaled just 65 rushing yards. The unit struggled containing the Bills' offensive line; Linderbaum had a hard time blocking defensive tackle Deone Walker. Caleb Rogers, who started at right guard overJackson Powers-Johnson, also whiffed on a block that led to Ashton Jeanty being stopped for a 3-yard loss at the goal line in the fourth quarter." - Ryan McFadden
Our take: McFadden, the Raiders' beat writer for ESPN, is spot-on about Linderbaum's struggles and those of the offensive line as a whole. As far as the ranking, 18 is in the lower half but entirely fair, and it is surprising to see Las Vegas creep down ever so slightly after a loss at home. But Buffalo is great.
NFL.com - Nick Shook
Current - 18
Last Week - 19
"Another tough loss marked the Raiders’ third straight defeat, dropping them from a 3-0 start to 3-3 after six weeks. For some teams, this might be a sign of crisis. These Raiders, however, have proven competitive in two of those three losses, going blow for blow with two AFC titans in the Chiefs and Bills. This is part of the process of evolving from cellar-dweller to aspiring contender, in which the upstart learns how to win the close battles against proven teams. Las Vegas has received a couple of good lessons in this department recently, while Kirk Cousins continues to thrive. There are no moral victories, but there are degrees of losses, and this one appears more favorable than others."
Our take: I like the way that Shook put it: "No moral victories, but there are degrees of losses." And the Raiders have proven that they can hang with the big dawgs, so dropping them into the league's cellar doesn't make any sense. Again, though, this team is comfortably in the bottom half.
Fox Sports - Ralph Vacchiano
Current - 18
Last Week - 16
"The Raiders are just way better than I thought they were. They had to drop in the rankings this week because they’ve lost three straight, including a humbling blowout in New England. But I haven’t lost sight of the fact that the Raiders’ other two were three-point losses were to the Chiefs and Bills. QB Kirk Cousins is playing great. HC Klint Kubiak has done a masterful job as head coach. If the Raiders could only get more out of RB Ashton Jeanty, they might have something really good there."
Our take: Vacchiano was one of Las Vegas' big haters to begin the year, as he wouldn't buy into the hype of the team's early wins. Now, he is buying the hype after some close losses to other teams... go figure! Whatever gets the job done, though, I suppose.
The Athletic - Josh Kendall and Chad Graff
Current - 18
Last Week - 17
"The 38-year-old quarterback just keeps hanging on, but the calls for No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will get louder after the Raiders dropped their third straight game Sunday. That’s not necessarily Cousins’ fault, though. He is 29th in fantasy scoring (18.5 ppg) after being drafted No. 264 overall. Tight end Brock Bowers is once again pacing the Raiders offense. He’s 13th in scoring (20.6 ppg)."
Our take: The Athletic wanted to talk about fantasy football instead of the team at large when discussing their rankings, but that is fine. Cousins has been more than serviceable, and while not perfect, his production has been good, which matters in fantasy. And in reality, I guess!
Sports Illustrated - Conor Orr
Current - 19
Last Week - 16
"What if the Raiders decided that Fernando Mendoza was ready? Would the Browns be at all interested in having Cousins back up/challenge Deshaun Watson for snaps down the stretch, especially if Cleveland keeps gutting out victories?"
Our take: HELLO!
Now, there's an idea. It would be quite bold to ship off your starting quarterback at 3-3, especially when he's having the revival that he is, but Las Vegas also has the long game to play and Fernando Mendoza sitting in the bullpen. And Mendoza clearly has the higher ceiling... but floor, right now?
I'm not sure. Interesting exercise, though... Would you rather have 9 wins this year and Mendoza get little experience, or 6 wins with Mendoza getting tons of run and add an early Day 3 pick for next year by shipping Cousins off? Hmm... Dropping a few spots here makes sense as well, Mr. Orr...
Current - 18
Last Week - 18
"The Raiders have dropped three straight, but don't hold your breath waiting for Mendoza to take over.
"For the second time in three weeks, the Raiders gave an AFC heavyweight all they could handle in Week 6. Cousins was a big reason why, lighting up the Bills for 313 passing yards.
"It's going to come down to the Raiders' priorities. Once the team's unlikely postseason hopes have been dashed, then odds are we'll see Mendoza take over.
"But given how feisty these Raiders have been to date, those playoff aspirations may be around a while longer than we thought."
Our take: Ah, the counterpoint. Why mess a good thing up? Las Vegas is sixth in the NFL in scoring, and the run game has been atrocious, so Cousins is doing something right. If this team is capable of making the playoffs, it may be unwise to rock the boat... but Mendoza is a nice ace in the hole.
Average Rank - 18.3
Average Rank Last Week - 17.9
Average Change - -0.4
Highest Rank - 18
Lowest Rank - 19
Biggest Rise - 3 (FanSided)
Biggest Drop - 3 (Sports Illustrated)
Add us as a preferred source on Google