The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the biggest surprises in the league right now, as there aren’t many people who had the Raiders starting the season 2-0. Getting contributions from unsung heroes like quarterback Kirk Cousins and rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses
is a big reason why Las Vegas is winning and starting to climb up the charts in the Week 3 NFL Power Rankings roundup.Sports Illustrated
21. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 28
I don’t know what happens from here, but the fact that the Raiders have gotten incredible
production out of a handful of players the previous regime deemed unplayable—and are getting game-changing plays from a 2026 fifth-round pick in the secondary—have me more confident in the John Spytek-Tom Brady mind meld than I’ve ever been. — Conor Orr
Two weeks into the season and the difference between Klint Kubiak’s and Pete Carroll’s coaching staffs is already noticeable. It’s almost weird to see the Raiders become a well-coached team because it’s been a while, but that’s exactly what they are right now. Especially without Brock Bowers in the lineup, the Silver and Black don’t have a ton of star power on the roster, but they’re executing at a high level. That’s a testament to Kubiak, Spytek and players like Masses, who are outperforming their draft slot. What’s even crazier is the top pick of the draft hasn’t even seen the field yet…
ESPN
20. Las Vegas Raiders
One thing we know about the QB1: Kirk Cousins can handle pressure well.
Cousins has been pressured on 36.5% of his dropbacks through two games. In those situations, he has completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9%) for 161 yards, three touchdowns, an interception and a passer rating of 105.6. Against the Chargers, Cousins was pressured on 40.6% of his dropbacks. Yet he still managed to throw for 108 yards and two scores whenever the Chargers brought the heat. — Ryan McFadden
When it comes to Cousins and the offensive line, it’s been two different stories in the first two weeks of the season. The quarterback did a lot of taking what the Miami Dolphins’ defense was giving him in the season opener and only faced pressure on 22.6% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Last Sunday, he did a much better job of pushing the ball downfield and was pressured 43.8% of the time. Now, it’s just a matter of putting it all together at once.
For the record, PFF has a slightly different but still very comparable pressure percentage for the season than ESPN does, with the former coming in at 33.3%.
NFL.com
22. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 29
The Raiders are 2-0! They aren’t anywhere near perfection, but they’re undefeated after two weeks and winning in new coach Klint Kubiak’s intended fashion: playing opportunistic, scrappy defense and capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes. The best part: They’re doing it with names you might have never heard before. Cody White scored two receiving touchdowns on Sunday. Hezekiah Masses picked off Justin Herbert twice. Furthermore, Kirk Cousins is out there slinging the pill with no fear! I’m not saying the Raiders are going to the playoffs, but they’re certainly fun to watch. — Nick Shook
I like this take on what the Silver and Black have done so far. It’s still too early to put them in the ‘contender’ category, but the team is making plenty of strides and is already showing signs that the organization is ahead of schedule on the rebuild. It’s certainly a much more watchable product than a year ago, when opponents were taking a knee ahead of the two-minute warning.
Bleacher Report
20. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 24
The Las Vegas Raiders are an unstoppable juggernaut. There’s really no point in even playing out the rest of the season. It’s a huge waste of time. Just give the Raiders their Lombardi Trophy and call it a day. Kidding aside, the Raiders haven’t played a Murderer’s Row early—the Miami Dolphins look like the NFL’s worst team, and the Los Angeles Chargers look like the league’s biggest disappointment.
But 2-0 is 2-0—Kirk Cousins flat-out out-played Justin Herbert. Wide receiver Tre Tucker roasted a supposedly solid Chargers defense. The Vegas defense allowed just 14 points and forced three turnovers. It’s a great start, but we’ll find who these Raiders really are over the next five games—a wicked stretch that includes the Rams, Chiefs and Bills coming to town and a trip to New England. — Gary Davenport
It’s kind of funny that the Chargers would have been considered part of the “Murderer’s Row” two weeks ago, and now they’re “the league’s biggest disappointment”. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with what Davenport is saying because the Bolts are a disorganized mess right now. Doing simple things like snapping the ball on fourth down is a challenge for them. But it is funny how two games can completely sway people’s opinions 180 degrees, and I’m including myself in that.
Regardless, as Davenport notes, the Raiders deserve credit for getting back-to-back wins, something they didn’t do last year. When you’re the worst team in the league year ago, it’s okay to celebrate every victory in the following season, regardless of how bad the other team is or looks.
The Athletic
22. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 27
Rookie spotlight: Fernando Mendoza
The No. 1 overall pick doesn’t look close to getting on the field with how the Raiders are playing. Kirk Cousins is in his 15th year and is tied for the league lead with six passing touchdowns. Cousins is playing average overall (15th in EPA per dropback and 13th in yards per attempt), and that’s good enough in Las Vegas right now. Fourth-round running back Mike Washington Jr. is getting some work, but second-year man Ashton Jeanty is carrying most of the load. — Josh Kendall, Chad Graff
To each their own, but choosing to spotlight a guy who hasn’t played when someone on the same team is up for Rookie of the Week is an interesting choice. On top of that, they mention how Washington isn’t getting much run behind Jeanty. I guess Masses has to get three picks in a game for Kendall and Graff to take notice! I get that offensive players/fantasy football is all most people care about these days, but this was a missed opportunity to highlight a fifth-round pick who just had an outstanding game.
