In a surprising twist after a 34-17 loss, not a single outlet that we cover for our Raiders Power Rankings Round-Up dropped them in their rankings. Not one, and a couple actually raised their position in the rankings.

The main reasons the Raiders either stayed put or were raised slightly is that the Raiders really did play a tough Baltimore Ravens defense competitively for 3 quarters of the game, and the teams consistently ranked below Oakland all lost. The teams below them didn’t give any reason to raise them up above the Raiders, and they played hard enough to get tiny bit of appreciation added to their lowly ranks.

Still, any week that sees the Raiders average go up is a good week for the power rankings. Even if it’s just going up slightly like in this week, it’s still better than falling to last place like they were earlier this season.

SBNation.com

Rank: 30

Last Week: 31

NFL.com

Rank: 30

Last Week: 30

"The Raiders suffered another loss -- but not without putting up a fight. The score (34-17) looks ugly, but Oakland took an early lead on the stingiest defense in pro football and was only down three late in the third quarter. That's precisely when the Raiders' defense failed to hold, allowing Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson to engineer a 17-play, 71-yard drive -- complete with four third-down conversions -- that took forever. Which is about how long this awful season is taking to run its course."

ESPN

Rank: 31

Last Week: 31

"Toughest game left: Week 13 vs. Kansas City. With the Raiders giving up an NFL-worst 6.5 yards per play, the Chiefs averaging an NFL-best 7.0 yards per play and Oakland facing its AFC West brethren two times in the final five weeks, things could get ugly in a hurry. True, this weekend's game is in Oakland, where the Raiders have defeated Kansas City twice in the past four seasons (as opposed to going 0-4 at Arrowhead Stadium in that time), but when they meet in the season finale, the Chiefs might be resting their regulars for the playoffs. -- Paul Gutierrez"

SI.com

Rank: 30

Last Week: 31

"The Raiders moved up a spot this week, proving once again that you just never know how our voters will treat this bottom three. They didn’t get any votes for the bottom spot, so that’s nice I guess."

The Washington Post

Rank: 29

Last Week: 29

"Is there any reason to believe that things will be better in Year 2 (or beyond) for Jon Gruden and the Raiders? Yes, there are bountiful draft picks to come. But who trusts that this Raiders regime will make the most of them?"

Yahoo!

Rank: 31

Last Week: 31

"Jared Cook’s one-handed touchdown catch was one of the best you’ll see this season. At 31 years old, Cook probably isn’t a cornerstone of the Raiders’ rebuild, but he’s having a remarkable season."

Bleacher Report

Rank: 31

Last Week: 31

"It's been a terrible year for the Oakland Raiders. And as the losses have piled up, there have been rumblings regarding Derek Carr, his fat salary and his future with Jon Gruden's Raiders.

Performances like Sunday's aren't going to help the Oakland quarterback's job security.

It came against one of the better defenses in the NFL, but Carr was miserable in Week 12, completing less than half of his passes while failing to hit 200 passing yards.

However, Davenport isn't so sure blowing up the quarterback position in Oakland is the best course of action:

"I have little doubt that the idea of getting 'his' young quarterback appeals to Gruden's ego. Or getting a veteran, which would fit with Gruden's MO in his earlier head coaching stints in Tampa and Oakland. But it's not entirely Carr's fault the Raiders are pathetic. Or even mostly his fault. Carr isn't a great quarterback, but he's as good as any of the other options the Raiders could realistically get. But please—keep fixing things that aren't broken. It's working so well thus far."

Sporting News

Rank: 31

Last Week: 31

"The Raiders did some good things early in Baltimore to build off the late rally in Arizona, but their major defensive problems took over. Oakland still needs a defensive overhaul first before thinking about a big change at QB."

Average Ranking: 30.375

Last Week: 30.625