Power Ranking Summary: Raiders won't finish higher than 20th in Week 1

The regular season has finally begun: The NFL officially starts the season on Thursday evening, while the Las Vegas Raiders begin the year in Los Angeles with a game against the Chargers.

This promises to be an interesting season for the Raiders as the roster includes some stars like Maxx Crosby, Davante Adams and Christian Wilkins. However, the team's quarterback situation is questionable as Gardner Minshew won the battle for the starting spot over Aidan O'Connell in training camp.

Therefore, it is difficult to predict how Las Vegas will perform this season, so let's take a look at some power rankings to see how people around the league view the Silver and Black.

NFL.com

29. Las Vegas Raiders

It's entirely possible that I'm not seeing the forest for the trees and that this ranking is too short-sighted and too low. After all, the team boasts a bona fide No. 1 receiver (Davante Adams), a potential rookie star (TE Brock Bowers), and arguably the best DT-DE combination in the league (Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby). But the pairing that scares me the most is the one that arguably matters more, and that's the quarterback and the offensive coordinator. Gardner Minshew went 7-6 off the bench last season with a moderately talented Colts team, and that's great for him, but it's hardly the most inspiring QB situation there is. Especially with Luke Getsy calling the plays after his Bears offenses ranked 28th and 20th in yards the past two seasons. I'm not saying that Minshew (or Aidan O'Connell) and Getsy tilt But the margin for error seems pretty slim for a team that isn't exactly stacked with top-tier talent and has a good – but hardly dominant – defense.

This is broadly consistent with what was said above. The Raiders have a strong roster, but the question mark at the most important position on the field is considerable. It also underscores the concerns about Getsy as an offensive coordinator. I'm optimistic about his prospects as I think Justin Fields has held the Bears offense back considerably, but Getsy's resume on paper isn't strong with the numbers above, which raises some skepticism. As NFL.com notes, Las Vegas will get as far as its defense takes the team.

PFF

20. Las Vegas Raiders

Expected wins: 7.4

The Las Vegas Raiders will have a strong defensive line with stars Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, while Malcolm Koonce, John Jenkins and Adam Butler have all shown they can play at a high level. Their biggest weakness in 2023 has been their offensive line, which lacks depth and consistency outside of Kolton Miller and Thayer Munford Jr.

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers is expected to add flexibility and creativity to the offense, forming a dynamic duo with Michael Mayer. The Raiders' success will depend on Gardner Minshew's performance, but with a strong defensive line and a talented offense led by Davante Adams, Las Vegas can challenge for second place in the AFC West behind the Chiefs.

The Silver and Black are getting a little more love from PFF. Granted, that's still not what the fanbase wants to hear, as seven wins would be one less than last season and of course it would be nice to be fighting for more than second place in the division. Again, the quarterback situation is the biggest driving force behind the skepticism.

Interestingly, PFF only praises Miller and Munford when it comes to consistency on the offensive line, especially since this will be Munford's first season as a full-time starter. Andre James, meanwhile, has done well in the website's grading system, reaching a career-high 74.6.

CBS

31. Robber

Antonio Pierce will have to do some real magic to get the team to win seven games. The squad isn't great. And Gardner Minshew isn't the right solution at quarterback either.

There's not much to go by here, as the analysis is pretty brief. According to CBS, Las Vegas is the biggest drop-off compared to the site's previous rankings, dropping seven spots. One has to imagine that this is a reflection of the team's preseason performance and a result of naming Minshew the starter.

Sharp football analysis

27. Las Vegas Raiders

The competition for the starting quarterback position took center stage. Gardner Minshew was named the starter because of his experience and ability to get the team off to a fast start. He brings mobility and playmaking skills. Antonio Pierce, in his first full season as head coach, was instrumental in integrating new players and refining both offensive and defensive strategies.

Pierce made similar comments about Minshew's experience making him a better fit than O'Connell to get the team off to a fast start this season. The only problem is that he's only been a Week 1 starter once in his career, with the Jaguars in 2019. Although he won the season's opening game, Jacksonville started the year 1-6 with him. Admittedly, that Jags team was pretty awful.

Bleacher Report

26. Las Vegas Raiders

“The Raiders have grit and grit on defense, a plethora of game-winning pass receivers and an offensive line that will return four familiar faces,” Moe Moton said. “But the Raiders' quarterback staff will make you cringe with worry. Gardner Minshew outpaced Aidan O'Connell in the battle for the starting job, completing 48.5 percent of his passes against mostly backup players in the preseason. Sure, Minshew didn't have key players in the huddle either, but he struggled with his accuracy and ball placement against backup players in mostly simple defensive schemes. Minshew will take the Raiders on a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but the coaching staff may want to end that ride midseason.”

If Minshew has a weak start, fans will be clamoring for O'Connell by midseason.

Here's more of the same analysis with the Raiders in the mid-20s. The point about Minshew being kept on a short leash seems very true. As mentioned above, his job is to get the Raiders off to a good start this season, but if they don't win games to start the year, Pierce will likely make a quarterback change to at least provide a spark.

USA Today

29. Las Vegas Raiders (24): All-Pro WR Davante Adams could have a huge impact on the future of this organization…assuming he plays well enough to fetch a sizable profit before the trade deadline.

This line says everything you need to know about what USA Today thinks of the Raiders this season. If Adams is on the transfer list at the deadline, that means the team's season won't move forward anytime soon.