Raiders' Downward Trend Continues In NFL Power Rankings

If the Las Vegas Raiders' position in the weekly NFL power rankings was a rollercoaster ride, they'd require a ton of Dramamine.

If you made a graph charting how the Raiders have risen and subsequently fallen since the season began, it would look like the precipitous opening plunge on a sadistic thrill ride::

• 31 (Preseason) -> 29 -> 29 -> 22 -> 10 (3-0 start) -> 12 -> 19 -> 18 -> 25 (4-game losing streak)

The latest seven-spot tumble in Nick Shook's rankings on NFL.com comes after the Raiders' latest setback, a 35-21 defeat in which they were thoroughly outclassed by a Los Angeles Rams' team that entered the game stumbling along at 2-4.

The performance was so dismal that Shook even dropped the Raiders behind the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commandeers, who are a combined 3-9-1 this season.

"It’s official: Las Vegas’ 3-0 start was a mirage," Shook reasoned. "The Raiders have now lost four straight and can no longer rely on Kirk Cousins to simply throw them to victory (or close losses)....The defense certainly didn’t do them any favors on Sunday, but perhaps they can bounce back against a Jets team mired in similar struggles."

For the record, the 2-5 New York Jets descended to 29th in Shook's rankings after they somehow managed to lose - at home - to the previously winless Miami Dolphins last Sunday. Set your alarms (or don't) for a 10 a.m. PT kickoff in The Meadowlands on Sunday.

Elsewhere in Power Rankings Land, The Athletic moved the Raiders down six spots from 18th to 24th behind a pair of 2-5 teams, the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to the ranking duo of Chad Graff and Josh Kendall, the biggest question facing Las Vegas at this point is when, not necessarily if, the team will hand the reins to rookie No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza.

There is always speculation along these lines when a team is struggling and the starter-in-waiting has entered the QB room, but there is added intrigue this season with a number of more competitive clubs possibly looking to upgrade their QB position prior to the league's Nov. 10 trade deadline, which means Cousins could possibly be on the move in less than two weeks.

The NFL rankings' team at Bleacher Report were the most generous to the Silver-and-Black this week. Though B/R's expert panel did say that the Raiders had "turned into a pumpkin" after four losses in October, they only dropped them two spots - from 18th to 20th - despite last Sunday's underwhelming showing.

Like the others, they speculate when Mendoza could be called on to replace Cousins, whether by choice or by trade.

They also add that things don't appear as if they will get much better either way with Las Vegas slated to face four of the league's top 12 defenses between now and Thanksgiving weekend before the Raiders' bye week finally arrives, which at least guarantees they won't be losing on Dec. 6.