Today over at the mothership, they gave out some NFL midseason grades. And to the credit of Michael Middlehurst Schwartz, he didn't do the soft stepping thing where the worst grade is a C. His grades ran the spectrum from A+ to F, offering something akin to what anyone who every stepped foot in a classroom would understand in terms of grades.
In that context, he gave the Las Vegas Raiders a C+ grade, which right in the middle of the pack. And what would be considered a passing grade. Although he gets one key stat wrong in his assessment.
The Silver and Black's crash landing after a 3-0 start revealed a fundamental truth about the franchise: This roster is still a long way off from competing in the AFC West. Credit first-year coach Klint Kubiak
with finding ways to try to mitigate the myriad shortcomings. But the midseason pivot to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza marked a fitting inflection point for a franchise that's now focused on reaping long-term rewards. The rookie quarterback, however, faces an inauspicious setup with a stalled-out run game and defense that has given up 30 or more points in five consecutive games.
Right at the end there he notes the Raiders streak of games allowing 30 or more points. But he comes in one short. The Raiders have actually given up 30 or more points in SIX consecutive games. Which ties an NFL record. And it's. current so if they do it again this week against the Seahawks, they would set a new NFL record. I can't help but wonder if he had realized this if that would have impacted his grade at all. Maybe dropped the Raiders to a flat C? Or C-? Still passing grades, but perhaps not as comfortable a margin?
Who knows, really. And it's neither here nor there. The plain truth is the Raiders have been going in the wrong direction over the past six weeks, pulling out just one win over a struggling Jets (2-7) team. But, you know, still giving up 33 points.
The best you can say about this Raiders team is that there seems to be some hope that this is just growing pains for a rebuilding team.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: USA Today gives Raiders passing midseason grade but gets key stat wrong
