The Las Vegas Raiders introduced the Pete Carroll era with a strong Week One, defeating the New England Patriots 20-13 on Sunday.
The game was not perfect by any stretch and there are certainly things to work on, but the Raiders will take a win after only four victories last season. Geno Smith and the defense put together strong efforts to lead the team to victory, and the optimism around the team after a busy offseason is starting to reach a fever pitch.
It has resulted in several analysts taking notice of the Raiders as they head into a Monday Night Football matchup at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders have shot up the power rankings on multiple sites so far.
Deservedly so, the Raiders are on the ascent in the eyes of analysts, with the team inside or approaching the top 20 teams in power rankings.
The Raiders are currently at their highest in the eyes of The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer, who placed them at No. 18 on his rankings.
“The Raiders got Geno Smith to stabilize their offense and maximize passing to Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, with a big assist from rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. So far, so good for the ideal winning formula under Chip Kelly and Pete Carroll,” Iyer wrote.
Some were a bit more critical of the Raiders’ performance, but still moved them up due to the aspects that the team did well.
“With the Patriots bottling up Ashton Jeanty in Week 1, quarterback Geno Smith showed how much of a difference it makes for the Las Vegas Raiders offense to have a reliable signal-caller,” wrote Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson, who placed the Raiders at No. 23.
”Smith isn’t the perfect quarterback; his 4 sacks and 1 interception highlight his tendency to make a few negative plays. However, he handled the blitz well (9-for-13, 189 yards and 1 TD) and really took advantage of Chip Kelly’s open passing game. Set to host their home opener in Week 2, Las Vegas could surprise the Los Angeles Chargers.”
If the Raiders can pull out a statement victory over the Chargers, they can expect their ascent up the NFL ladder to continue.
Three takeaways from Raiders’ impressive 20-13 win over Patriots
