The Raiders didn’t leave Week 4 with a win, but they did leave with something that matters in the NFL: respect. After pushing the Chiefs to the brink, Las Vegas is creeping upward in the power rankings, and the tone around Klint Kubiak’s team is shifting fast.
That narrow loss to Kansas City seems to have done more for the Raiders’ reputation than a comfortable win might have. The three teams Las Vegas has beaten have all stumbled in Week 4, and now the conversation is starting to center on whether this team is for real rather than whether it got lucky early. It’s not a full-blown consensus yet, but the drift is obvious.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal kept the Raiders at No. 11, noting that “Special teams cost them this game. They bested the team that is No. 1 in these rankings in the other two categories or at least played them even.
Maxx Crosby takes one play off, and they get gutted. But they fought til the end, and people around the league are taking them quite seriously.”
ESPN’s Ryan McFadden was even more bullish, framing the loss as evidence that something bigger is taking shape in Las Vegas: “Something special is brewing.
"Even after the Raiders' heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs, there's a sense that first-time coach Klint Kubiak is building something special in Las Vegas. The Raiders were competitive for four quarters against Kansas City.
They are better than expected and should be a competitive team each week, especially with quarterback Kirk Cousins playing at a high level. With the Chargers 0-4 and the Broncos 2-2, it's not crazy to suggest Las Vegas can make a playoff run in Year 1 of the Kubiak era.”
Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano made the biggest jump of the bunch, moving Las Vegas up six spots despite the defeat. He wrote, “Hello, Raiders fans!
You happy yet? Probably not.
"But you’ve got to give me this much: This is an enormous, unprecedented jump in the rankings for a team coming off a loss. Despite a 30-27 defeat to the Chiefs, they showed (me) that their 3-0 start was real. They KC in the fourth quarter, their defense did a number on Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins was mostly fantastic.
"Really, if it weren’t for a fourth-quarter fumbled kickoff return, they probably win. Klint Kubiak gets my early vote for NFL Coach of the Year. "
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall and Chad Graff had the Raiders at No. 13, down one spot from last week, but still viewed the result as a positive sign. Their read: “The Raiders lost, but they’ve got to come away from Sunday’s game feeling pretty good.
They’ve already matched their win total from a year ago. New coach Klint Kubiak is exceeding expectations, and even 38-year-old Kirk Cousins is slinging it.
There’s not a lot to be worried about in Vegas given what this season could’ve looked like.”
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr slid the Raiders to No. 10 from No. 9, pointing readers to his column about “the arrival of Mark Davis finally making a coaching hire who lets his actions do the talking.”
Bleacher Report also stayed in the praise lane, even while acknowledging the first loss of the season. Moe Moton wrote, “For the first time this season, the Las Vegas Raiders came up short, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, but their contender credentials are genuine after entering last week at No. 11 in our power rankings.
"While aggressive, the Raiders will miss the mark at times, but they're good enough to hang with the NFL's upper-echelon teams. Keep in mind that playoff-caliber clubs have a better chance of capitalizing on Las Vegas' mistakes.”
The common thread is easy to spot: the Raiders are no longer being treated like a cute early-season story. They’re being treated like a team that can make noise. And after nearly knocking off Kansas City, that’s a label they’ve earned.
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John Spytek has not made a move yet, but the Raiders are at least in the mix if the right opportunity comes along. And when a team starts winning this early, the list of names around the league can shift quickly, too. Players who once looked like obvious trade chips may be harder to move now, while Las Vegas is being watched as a club that could do more than just sit back and see how the deadline unfolds. [Read more 🡒]