After nobody gave them a chance to win in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens , the Las Vegas Raiders shocked the world and pulled off the road upset over Baltimore, winning 26-23.
It wasn't looking great for the Raiders early on, as their offense struggled mightily in the first half. However, the defense, led by All-World edge rusher Maxx Crosby, kept the Raiders in the game until the offense came alive in the second half.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew came through in the clutch by orchestrating three late drives to help Las Vegas pull off a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback that was improbable to say the least . He didn't do it alone, though, as star wide receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers both played a huge role.
The Raiders were in a hole in the NFL Power Rankings of experts last week, but they managed to climb out with the upset win over the Ravens. But how high exactly did they climb? Let's take a look.
NFL Power Rankings Week 3 for Raiders
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 24 (+6)
Iyer: "The Raiders played a slightly cleaner game in Baltimore to come away with an improbable needed victory. They're now set up to start 2-1 with the lowly Panthers coming to Las Vegas."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 14 (+16)
Prisco: "Winning on the road against a good Ravens team is a big deal for this young group. Gardner Minshew owns Baltimore the past two seasons."
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: 26 (+4)
Edholm: "Through six quarters of the season, the Raiders had fewer than 350 yards of offense and a mere 16 points. Questions started swirling in my head about the decision to start Gardner Minshew over Aidan O'Connell, and then Minshew remembered where he was: Baltimore, where he pulled off a similarly wild upset a year ago with the Colts. With one big throw after another, Minshew found Davante Adams, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, offsetting an anemic run game and taking advantage of the Ravens' mistakes. The result was five productive second-half drives, only one of which ended without points, while the Raiders were able to keep Lamar Jackson under wraps and pull off the late stunner. What this says of the Raiders' potential, I'm not sure, but Antonio Pierce's team mounted a stirring rally right when it most needed one."
Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports: 20 (+5)
Schwab: "The interaction between Maxx Crosby and Gardner Minshew II, with Crosby having a pointed and clearly encouraging conversation with the quarterback after an interception, said a lot about Crosby and his leadership. He's a fantastic defensive end but the Raiders might not pull off a massive win without him keeping his quarterback's confidence up. It was a telling moment."
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 23 (+7)
Florio: "Can they string a few together?"
David Helman, FOX Sports: 25 (+5)
Helman: " The fun thing about the Gardner Minshew experience is that he's capable of pulling a rabbit out of his hat every so often, as he did Sunday in Baltimore. And if Minshew is playing well, the Raiders' roster is more than good enough to compete. How often can both of those things sync up as the season goes along?"
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