2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Los Angeles Rams crush Oakland Raiders 33-13

19. Oakland Raiders

First off, let’s give the Oakland Raiders some credit for the way their defense played for most of the game when seeing how much criticism this team has taken over the last week or so after making the tough decision to trade Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears. Facing a high-powered offense loaded with talent like the Los Angeles Rams have is never an easy task to handle, and seeing the Raiders as a team hold McVay’s squad to just 26 points can be viewed as a win.

Of course, if Oakland is going to have any chance of returning to their level from 2016 in which they were one of the teams to beat in the AFC, Carr will need to play much better moving forward, starting next weekend when taking on the Denver Broncos on the road. Between poor decision making that resulted in three interceptions along with being shutout in the second half, it was frustrating to see the Raiders fail to play like they did in the first two quarters.

On a positive note, at least Oakland should be thrilled over the performance put together by Jared Cook after the tight end took advantage of the mismatch on defense by finishing with nine catches for 180 yards. If the Raiders were smart, Gruden would figure out a way to make sure he continues to be heavily involved in the passing game as a reliable target for Carr.