Not only did the Raiders provide us with one of the most entertaining games of the week, but that might just be the best game of the season. There were countless score changes as the Raiders scored 23 points in the final two quarters.
It was a huge win for the Raiders, who were 4.5 point underdogs going into the game. Jon Gruden’s team trailed by 14-0, but they got the last laugh with a walk-off touchdown to Zay Jones.
So how fair did the Raiders move up in the power rankings this week? Well, it depends on who you ask. According to Nate Davis of USA Today, the Raiders climb from No. 24 to No. 16. Here is what he had to say about their Week 1 victory:
“They did their best to come up snake eyes in debut in front of Las Vegas fans but ultimately hit blackjack.”
The Raiders did try to give away that game multiple times, including when Derek Carr threw a goal-line interception. But the defense stepped up when it mattered the most, forcing a fumble on Lamar Jackson.
Las Vegas has an incredibly difficult schedule this season, so getting an early win against a playoff team from a year ago is huge. Now, they will travel to Pittsburgh to take on arguably the best defense in the league during a short week.
But after one week, the Raiders have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. The goal isn’t to finish the season as the No. 16 team in power rankings like this, but it’s a good start.
