Moral victories aren’t really a thing in the NFL. But if there ever was such a thing, the Raiders’ loss against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football would qualify.
With less than a minute left in the game, Las Vegas held a lead over Kansas City and it appeared that they had a chance to sweep the Chiefs. However, the inevitable happened as Patrick Mahomes drove the length of the field and scored the game-winning touchdown.
But despite the loss, the Raiders have to feel great about where they are at as a franchise. They can clearly compete with any team in the NFL and could be dangerous should they make the playoffs. Across the NFL this week, the Raiders received a ton of praise this week for that performance.
In ESPN’s latest power ranking, the Raiders actually moved up in their power rankings, sliding up to No. 13. The power ranking had a Thanksgiving feel to it as each beat writer wrote what each team should be thankful for this season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Derek Carr. Here is what ESPN’s Paul Guttierrez had to say about Carr and the Raiders this season.:
“Who else is old enough to remember when Carr was going to be replaced by $7.5 million backup quarterback Marcus Mariota by midseason? While Mariota has yet to be active for a game, Carr is thriving in this, his third season in coach Jon Gruden’s offense. Sure, many would like Carr to revert to his old gunslinger ways at times, but he has shown he can win by throwing deep, taking what defenses give him, or by commanding a punishing running game.”
The Raiders have plenty to be thankful for this season as they have quickly developed into one of the better teams in the NFL. With Carr playing as well as he is, this team suddenly has one of the highest floors in the NFL. If they can take care of business against the Falcons in Week 12, they should have no problem securing a playoff spot this year.
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