The Las Vegas Raiders were widely favored to beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, and they took care of business. The team won 27-13, and both the offense and defense looked strong.
The Raiders were the worst team in the NFL last season, but it’s clear that they’ve improved quite a bit. Now, the Dolphins may end up being the worst team this season, but it was still an impressive win.
However, it wasn’t that impressive to some in the media. ESPN released their power rankings after Week 1, and they had the Raiders at No. 28, which represented a drop from when they were No. 27 before the season.
This doesn’t really make much sense. For example, the New York Jets jumped the Raiders in the rankings, but they played a very bad Tennessee Titans team in Week 1. It’s hard to see how that win was any more impressive than what the Raiders did.
Also, 12 teams that lost in Week 1 were ranked ahead of Las Vegas. Now, the Raiders haven’t proven enough to leapfrog some of the top teams that lost in Week 1, but placing them lower than the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders after they both lost in Week 1 is a curious choice.
Raiders Clearly Still Have a Lot to Prove
While it doesn’t seem fair to have the Raiders drop in the power rankings after a win, it’s hard to argue against the media. The team also won in Week 1 last year, but only won two more games the rest of the season.
The Raiders have to prove that they can play consistent football if they’re going to be respected by the media. Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers will be huge.
If the Raiders beat their AFC West rival, they could skyrocket up the power rankings. It’s one thing to beat a bad team, but it’s another thing to beat a playoff team from last season that a lot of people in the media love.
Kwity Paye Draws Praise for Week 1 Performance
One of the big free agent additions by the Raiders was defensive end Kwity Paye. The former first-round pick has been a bit up and down in his career, but is highly regarded as a run defender.
In Week 1, he showed that he can get after the quarterback and had 2.0 sacks. If he can establish himself as a pass rush threat, that would be huge for the Raiders defense. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden singled Paye out as a standout from their game against the Dolphins.
“The Raiders have been searching for a secondary pass rusher to support All-Pro Maxx Crosby,” McFadden wrote. “Paye, who signed a three-year deal in free agency, showed Sunday that he could fill that role with two sacks, five pressures and five quarterback hits. Under first-time defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, the Raiders want to be aggressive and make life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks. If Paye continues to have performances similar to the one he had in Week 1, the outlook for Las Vegas could be a lot different this season.”
Raiders Disrespected in Power Rankings Despite Week 1 Win