After week one, much of the opinions around the NFL world changed a bit, but not much. The general feeling was that of confirmation that the Raiders were as bad as they thought they were. Thus their low pre-season ranking just got a bit lower.
This week, all those expectations were upended when the Raiders went into Baltimore and stunned the Ravens and everyone else with a 26-23 win.
USA Today
Current Ranking: 21
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take:
If you’re going to make a pass rusher the face of your organization, may as well be one like Maxx Crosby, who has yet miss a snap this season.
NFL Media
Current Ranking: 26
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Author: Eric Edholm
Author’s Take:
Through six quarters of the season, the Raiders had fewer than 350 yards of offense and a mere 16 points. Questions started swirling in my head about the decision to start Gardner Minshew over Aidan O’Connell. Then Minshew remembered where he was: Baltimore, where he pulled off a similarly wild upset a year ago with the Colts. With one big throw after another, Minshew found Davante Adams, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, offsetting an anemic run game and taking advantage of the Ravens’ mistakes. The result was five productive second-half drives, only one of which ended without points, while the Raiders were able to keep Lamar Jackson under wraps and pull off the late stunner. What this ultimately says of Las Vegas’ potential, I’m not sure, but Antonio Pierce’s team mounted a stirring rally right when it most needed one.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 21
Last Week’s Ranking: 28
Author: Paul Gutierrez
Author’s Take:
While Mattison has only 20 rushing yards on nine carries, including 1 yard on four attempts at Baltimore, he already has two touchdowns in 13 touches — a 31-yard catch, hurdle and run at the Chargers and a 1-yard plunge at the Ravens. Meanwhile, the Raiders’ rookie starter, Zamir White, has 68 rushing yards on 22 carries and 5 passing yards on six catches without a score.
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 14
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s Take:
Winning on the road against a good Ravens team is a big deal for this young group. Gardner Minshew owns Baltimore the past two seasons.
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 20
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
Author: Frank Schwab
Author’s Take:
The interaction between Maxx Crosby and Gardner Minshew II, with Crosby having a pointed and clearly encouraging conversation with the quarterback after an interception, said a lot about Crosby and his leadership. He’s a fantastic defensive end but the Raiders might not pull off a massive win without him keeping his quarterback’s confidence up. It was a telling moment.
Fox Sports
Current Ranking: 25
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Author: David Helman
Author’s Take:
The fun thing about the Gardner Minshew experience is that he’s capable of pulling a rabbit out of his hat every so often, as he did Sunday in Baltimore. And if Minshew is playing well, the Raiders’ roster is more than good enough to compete. How often can both of those things sync up as the season goes along?
Sharp Sports Analysis
Current Ranking: 24
Last Week’s Ranking: 30
Author: Pamela Maldonado
Author’s Take:
The Raiders are now 1-1 after securing a surprising 26-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, bouncing back from their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Gardner Minshew has shown promise while Davante Adams remains a top target. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers is emerging as a key player, catching all 9 of his targets for 98 yards in Week 2. Maxx Crosby continues to be a force, extending his streak to eight consecutive games with at least one tackle for loss.
