Add The California Post on Google The Las Vegas Raiders were not expected to make any noise this season. But thus far, they have been among the biggest surprises in the league. So much so that Tom Brady — a minority owner of the Raiders — believes Las Vegas is a top 10 team in the NFL through two weeks.
In his NFL power rankings, Brady ranked the Raiders at No. 9 and explained why.
“Listen, it’s not a hometown biased by me,” Brady said. “Their plus-26 point differential is third in the league. Kirk Cousins six touchdowns in two games. Come on, that’s pretty impressive. They go on the road to SoFi and beat the Chargers.
“Undefeated is undefeated. What’s that saying? Just win baby.”
The Raiders shocked just about everybody with their 2-0 start to the season, especially given their win over a divisional opponent on the road. While the sample size is small, Las Vegas garnering back-to-back wins speaks volumes to the franchise’s desire to flourish.
However, the Raiders haven’t played the most challenging opponents quite yet. The Dolphins might be the worst team in the NFL and the Chargers have performed embarrassingly bad to start the season.
Regardless, Las Vegas has the chance to have its first 3-0 start in five years, and only third this century.
Brady has a point, though. The Raiders are undefeated to start the season and that’s quite the feat for an organization that has struggled to string together wins in recent years.
Head coach Klint Kubiak’s influence in Las Vegas is palpable. And Cousins’ strong performance to open the season has given the Raiders an opportunity to develop No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza from the sidelines.
At times the offense has looked unstable, but defensively they have stout. They rank fifth in the NFL, allowing 27 points through two games. They are also second in the league, creating five turnovers. Only the Carolina Panthers have forced more (6).
Getting to the quarterback has been a glaring problem for the Silver and Black for years, despite Maxx Crosby’s presence. But thus far, they have eight sacks. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are tackling machines and safety Jeremy Chinn is becoming a ball hawk.
The Raiders will have to keep winning in order to prove the 2-0 start is no fluke, but the team is certainly off to a strong start.
They travel to New Orleans to face the 1-1 Saints this Sunday. New Orleans is a three-point favorite, but that game could very well go either way.
