Despite an 8-8 record in 2020 and nearly making the playoffs, the expectations for the Raiders couldn’t be any lower heading into the season. Most of the (big) media believes that the Raiders are likely fighting for the third spot in the AFC West, behind the Chiefs and Chargers.
The expectation for the Raiders this season is that they will be among the worst teams in the AFC and that this team is in a full-blown rebuild mold. But is that fair? And where should this team be ranked among their peers?
In a recent power rankings list done by the Bleacher Report staff, they ranked all 32 teams heading into the preseason. The Raiders did not score well, coming in at No. 25. Here is a snippet of what the site had to say about Las Vegas entering the year:
“The 2021 offseason was another bizarre one for the team. Despite the presence of young running back Josh Jacobs, the Raiders handed a sizable free agent contract to Kenyan Drake. Vegas traded three starters (center Rodney Hudson, guard Gabe Jackson and tackle Trent Brown) and then replaced Brown by reaching for Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood in the first round. It marked the third straight season that the Raiders made a pick in Round 1 that could best be described as questionable.”
It’s tough to argue that their offseason wasn’t bizarre, but the Raiders are hoping that getting younger on the offensive line will make this team better for the long run. There is a decent chance the offensive line could struggle out of the gate, especially with games against the Ravens and Steelers to open the year.
But if the offense can be as good as it was last year and the defense can improve at all, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Raiders in contention once again. Don’t be surprised if the Raiders finish much higher in power rankings like this at the end of the season as they are more talented than the No. 25 team in the league.