Tag: las vegas raiders

We’re through nine weeks of the NFL season, and that means the Power Rankings can start handing out report cards. Be warned, we are grading on a curve, which is why you’ll see the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 3 with a B-plus while the Arizona Cardinals at No. 31 got an A.The Chiefs are Super Bowl contenders as long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy and in his prime, and they have some flaws you can see under a harsh light. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are executing a nearly flawless pivot. After amassing tons of draft capital in the offseason, they are in the process of making those picks very valuable by not winning many games while also not looking like a total joke.(Last week: 2)Sunday: Beat Seattle Seahawks 37-3Report card: A-plusThe Ravens outgained a good Seattle team 515-151. Baltimore has...

Happy Halloween, NFL fans.The Power Rankings are getting into the spirit of the season by picking out something scary associated with each team. Some of these are scary for fans of a given team, while others should be scary for the team’s upcoming opponents.We hope all of them give you insight into where we stand with the NFL season nearly halfway complete.(Last week: 2)Sunday: Beat Washington Commanders 38-31Something scary (for others): A.J. BrownThe 6-foot-1, 226-pound wide receiver/cyborg is playing at a historic level. He had eight catches for 130 yards Sunday against Washington and now has topped 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games, becoming the first NFL player in history to do that. He is second in the league in receiving yards (939) behind only Tyreek Hill.Up next: vs....

The Power Rankings have a new No. 1.And also some questions — 32 questions to be precise, one for each team. Some of these are big questions that affect the long-term future of the teams, and some are more specific. Either way, we’re hoping the final 11 weeks of the season will give us some answers.As for our new No. 1, they’ll feel pretty familiar.(Last week: 5)Sunday: Beat Los Angeles Chargers 31-17One question: Is the defense for real?Kansas City won the Super Bowl last season with a defense that ranked 14th in success rate (58.3 percent). This year’s group ranks fifth (61.6). The offense seems fully engaged now. Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 179 yards Sunday, and Patrick Mahomes had his fifth career game with 400-plus yards and four or more touchdowns. Plus, Mahomes and Kelce con...

It’s already Week 6 in the NFL. Some things are clear. The San Francisco 49ers are very good. The Miami Dolphins are very fast (and probably very good). And some things are not clear. Two of the most highly respected coaches in the league in the last two decades find themselves near the bottom of this week’s Power Rankings. And the Kansas City Chiefs look out of sorts on offense despite winning.In the “Becoming Clear” category is how each team’s additions are affecting outcomes this year. For that reason, we’re doing a rookie check-in this week, although we’ve taken the liberty of expanding the category to “notable new guy” when warranted.(Last week: 1)Sunday: Beat Dallas Cowboys 42-10Should we do Sam Darnold here? San Francisco beat Dallas so badly Sunday night that Darnold got into th...