The AFC West is starting to sort itself out, and the Raiders are stuck in the mess right in the middle.
Las Vegas sits at 4-5 heading into the trade deadline, a record that leaves them neither dead in the water nor remotely in the same class as the teams at the top of the division. In another universe, that mark would look a whole lot better. In this one, the Raiders are playing in a division with two real Super Bowl contenders and a Chargers team that has somehow gone off the rails completely.
Here’s where things stand after Week 9:
Denver Broncos 7-2
Kansas City Chiefs 6-2
Las Vegas Raiders 4-5
Los Angeles Chargers 0-8
That middle spot is the uncomfortable one. Not long ago, the Raiders were tied for first.
Not long after that, they were sitting in a playoff position. But the longer this season has gone on, the more they’ve looked like exactly what they are: not bad, but not good either.
They beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. They lose to the teams they’re supposed to lose to.
For a young roster and a fan base that didn’t exactly come in expecting fireworks, that might be tolerable. But after Week 9, the picture is clearer than ever.
Against the San Francisco 49ers, the Raiders never really found their footing. The defense couldn’t get stops early, which left the offense playing from behind, and when the defense finally tightened things up in the second half, the offense gave it right back by turning the ball over five times.
Five. And three of those came in scoring position.
Kirk Cousins had a rough afternoon, and Brock Bowers was the only Raider on offense who really produced. On defense, Nakobe Dean and Maxx Crosby were fine, but the unit as a whole still looked lost and without answers.
San Francisco was always going to be a tough matchup, but this one became a lot uglier because Las Vegas kept beating itself. The 38-17 loss was a blowout, and Fernando Mendoza didn’t get any run at the end.
Boo!
At the top of the division, Denver keeps finding ways to win games that feel impossible to win. The Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers again, and somehow it was another one of those black magic victories.
Their defense remains excellent, their offense does just enough, and the team has now won 16 straight one-score games. That kind of run is absurd, and it feels like it can’t possibly keep going forever.
This time, they got some help from the officials. Sean Payton was allowed to challenge the previous play right as the Panthers were snapping the ball.
The review showed an interception, but it also showed the Broncos committing pass interference. That part didn’t matter, because the call couldn’t be changed.
It was another break in a long line of breaks for Denver.
Kansas City snapped its two-game skid in emphatic fashion, rolling past the New York Jets 35-12. Patrick Mahomes had a solid game, Kenneth Walker III looked like his old self on the ground, and the defense shut down Geno Smith and company just one week after that 33-point showing against the Raiders.
There was a catch, though: Mahomes left with an elbow injury and is day-to-day after a blow to the elbow. That could matter as the season wears on.
Still, the Chiefs are heading into what looks like the easiest stretch of their remaining schedule. And yes, Harrison Butker sucks, which rocks on multiple levels.
Then there’s the Chargers, who are simply a disaster. Jim Harbaugh’s team managed to hand a boost to the 2-5 Houston Texans and got doubled up in a 44-22 loss. The run game actually worked well enough, but Justin Herbert hasn’t had any success throwing the ball, and the defense was just as much of a problem as the offense.
Even so, Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz reportedly aren’t listening to offers for veteran players on expiring contracts. That’s not exactly a surprise, and Raiders fans probably shouldn’t be upset about it.
So where does that leave Las Vegas? Floating.
Waiting. Maybe deciding whether to sell at the deadline and build toward the future, or try to squeeze something more out of this season.
Either path could make sense. Tuesday’s deadline should tell everyone exactly how the front office and coaching staff see this team.
What it does not tell them is that the Raiders belong in the same category as the Broncos or Chiefs. They don’t. They’re in a different lane entirely, and right now that lane is called uncertainty.
Looking ahead to Week 10, the Raiders don’t get much relief. They’ll host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. Mike Macdonald’s team has regressed, and Klint Kubiak knows their defense well, but it’s still a tough opponent and figures to be a battle of attrition and familiarity.
Kansas City heads to the East Coast for a Sunday morning game against the Arizona Falcons. You never know which Falcons team will show up, but the Chiefs should still have a real shot to handle an inferior opponent on the road.
Denver gets the week off.
In Other News...
Raiders Rivalry Put The 49ers In Focus For The Wrong Reason
What should have been a routine chapter in the Bay Area rivalry instead turned Levis Stadium into a scene of repeated trouble, with multiple brawls breaking out among fans in the stands and parking lots during the 49ers-Raiders game. The matchup has long carried added security concerns, and on this occasion the law enforcement presence was not enough to keep the incidents from spilling over into violent altercations.
Efforts to calm things down did not work, leaving authorities to sort through the aftermath and identify the people involved. For the Raiders, the football itself was quickly overshadowed by the kind of off-field behavior that can turn a rivalry game into a public safety issue, and officials are now focused on holding those who broke the law accountable. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Rivalry Game Turned Into A Dangerous Scene Fans Will Hate
A preseason rivalry game at Levis Stadium between the 49ers and Raiders turned ugly in a hurry, with multiple brawls breaking out among fans both in the stands and in the parking lot. The matchup has long carried extra edge because of the history between the two teams, and security was visibly stepped up around the stadium, but it still wasnt enough to keep tempers from boiling over.
Videos from the scene showed fans from both sides trading punches and tumbling over stadium seats as the chaos spread. The incidents led to arrests and renewed questions about how much can really be done to keep a charged rivalry from spilling beyond the field and into the crowd. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Suddenly Face A Roster Crossroads After Ugly 49ers Loss
The Raiders Week 9 loss to the 49ers did more than add another ugly result to the ledger. It also sharpened the questions around a roster that is still very much in motion, with coach Klint Kubiak acknowledging that the teams thinking around personnel is evolving as the trade deadline approaches. After a game in which Kirk Cousins was picked off three times and the defense had its own problems keeping San Francisco in check, the margin for patience only seems to be shrinking.
Kubiaks comments fit the broader reality in Las Vegas, where every new game seems to bring a fresh layer of urgency to the roster conversation. The Raiders are trying to sort out what they have, what they need and how aggressively they should act, all while the quarterback situation and the defensive issues remain front and center. For a team already searching for stability, the next move may be just as important as the last one. [Read more 🡒]