The Las Vegas Raiders managed to sink even further into the depths of despair in Week 6 after they got blown out by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-13.
The change at quarterback offered zero relief for the Raiders, as Aidan O'Connell was actually worse than Gardner Minshew. Las Vegas shot itself in the foot on several occasions and gift-wrapped the Steelers countless points.
Las Vegas is a dumpster fire right now, plain and simple. The Raiders are playing poorly, and one of their best players, Davante Adams, is on his way out. At this point, the Raiders absolutely should be sellers at the trade deadline.
As you'd expect, the Raiders are inching closer to the cellar in the NFL power rankings of experts after falling to 2-4 on the season.
NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Las Vegas Raiders
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 25 (-1)
Iyer: "The Raiders offense didn't look much better with the QB change, meaning their true answer lies in the 2025 draft. The defense is also falling apart away from Maxx Crosby."
Taylor Wirth, NBC Sports: 26 (no change)
Wirth: "Come on, embrace the tank. You know you want to. Go draft yourself a quarterback."
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: 25 (-1)
Cluff: "Yes, the quarterback play hasn't been great, but the Raiders have also allowed 163 points this season, the second-most in the AFC."
Peter Dewey, Sports Illustrated: 27 (no change)
Dewey: "Las Vegas turned the ball over several times in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now sits well out of the playoff picture in the AFC. It makes sense to sell off Davante Adams for picks at the deadline, but will the Raiders pull the trigger?"
Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: 27 (-1)
Johnson: "Not only are the Las Vegas Raiders an undisciplined team but they’ve come out flat in multiple games this season. Antonio Pierce isn’t an offensive guru nor a defensive mastermind, the Raiders made him the interim coach because he could motivate this locker room and get everyone to buy in. Las Vegas is now 2-5 and there’s a strong case to be made that this team won’t win a game until November. Maybe Pierce proves us wrong, but nothing we’ve seen from this team suggests that will happen."
Lou Scataglia, NFL Spin Zone: 28
Scataglia: "The Las Vegas Raiders are a dumpster fire and are now 2-4 on the season after a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders did not come away with a QB in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so this year was kind of a lost year coming into the season. It was odd that the Raiders didn’t make more of an effort to take a QB. They’ve already benched Gardner Minshew in favor of Aidan O’Connell, and with neither QB the long-term answer, I would expect Raiders’ GM Tom Telesco to take some type of swing next offseason. To be fair to Telesco, he was the one who drafted Justin Herbert back when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers, so there is some hope for Raiders’ fans that Telesco can make the right move and perhaps instill a franchise QB for the long-term. They’ve already benched Gardner Minshew in favor of Aidan O’Connell, and with neither QB the long-term answer, I would expect Raiders’ GM Tom Telesco to take some type of swing next offseason. To be fair to Telesco, he was the one who drafted Justin Herbert back when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers, so there is some hope for Raiders’ fans that Telesco can make the right move and perhaps instill a franchise QB for the long-term."
