Why Are the Raiders Being Underrated?

The Las Vegas Raiders are not projected to win many games by many outlets.

Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce leaves the field after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 31-17 at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

There is a lot of excitement around the Las Vegas Raiders and their standing as we approach the 2024 season. 

The Raiders ended the 2023 season with momentum, stemming from Coach Antonio Pierce turning the team around during his interim tenure. They improved on both sides of the ball and played with much more confidence once Pierce took over. 

Now that Pierce is the full-time head coach and the Raiders have upgraded some areas of need during the offseason, Raider Nation is feeling good about the team’s direction. 

However, outside eyes are not high on the Silver and Black going into the season. A recent report from ESPN ranked the Raiders dead-last in the NFL when grading their roster. 

A Yahoo! power rankings article ranked the Raiders at 26, while a Bleacher Report one ranked them at 25. 

Why are the Raiders being underrated by the national media? There are a few reasons. 

The first and biggest reason is the quarterback position. If a team doesn’t have a superstar quarterback, they likely won’t be ranked very high. 

The Raiders are amid a quarterback battle between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II. O’Connell was a fourth-round selection in 2023 who played only half a season, while Minshew has been a journeyman veteran. 

Las Vegas has two household names on offense and defense: wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Maxx Crosby. However, there are not too many more well-known players on the roster. Jakobi Meyers and Christian Wilkins are great players, but many fans may not know their names. 

While fans and players are bought into Pierce's vision for the team, he isn’t a proven coach, so he may not get the respect he deserves from those around the league yet. He will have to prove he can produce results throughout a full season before the Raiders get their respect. 

The media won’t properly respect the Raiders until they win games, and there are too many unknown and unproven commodities on the team for that to happen. The team will have to take care of business on the field to earn their respect. 

However, the players on the team do not care about what outside voices say. Instead, they will do what they can to win as many games as possible.

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