NFL Week 16 Power Rankings round up: Raiders fall out of the top 20

If you thought last week was rock bottom, think again. After blowing a 16-3 first half lead and being shutout 17-0 in the second half of the final game ever in Oakland, things have reached a new low. Throw in the fact that the teams so-called franchise quarterback was boo’d off the field, and things are not so peachy in Raiderland.

Let’s take a look at the week 16 power rankings from various online publications:

NFL.com

Rank: 23

Previous: 22

At least Jon Gruden got his apology. The Raiders coach told reporters on Monday that the NFL acknowledged the game clock should have kept running after Derek Carr slid to the ground for a first down late in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars. Poor Carr said after the game that the clock stoppage was “one of the most shocking moments of my life.” Game officials erroneously ruled that Carr had slid out of bounds, which gave the Jaguars the extra time they needed to mount a game-stealing touchdown drive. It was one last dose of heartbreak for the fans in Oakland, who didn’t get to celebrate a win in the team’s final home game before moving to Las Vegas in 2020. The depressing nature of Sunday’s affair pretty neatly matched up with the past four weeks for the Raiders, who went from 6-4 to 6-8 faster than you can say Spider 2 Y Banana.

ESPN

Rank: 19

Previous: 18

Oh, you didn’t know “Las Vegas” means “The Meadows” in Spanish? Indeed, the Raiders’ long, strange move to southern Nevada since winning the right to relocate in 2017 will be on the forefront of the franchise this offseason -- even if the Raiders still plan to do their offseason program in Alameda and training camp in Napa back in California. But shy of any construction delays, the Las Vegas Raiders will debut in 2020. It’s the end of an era for Oakland but the beginning of another for Sin City.

SI.com

Rank: 23

Previous: 22

This was tough to watch. Giving up 17 unanswered second half points while failing to get past the Jacksonville 27 or score after halftime is no way to say goodbye to Raider Nation in the Coliseum, and the fans certainly agreed. During their recent four-game capitulation, Oakland only scored nine total second half points, all in the blowout loss to the Chiefs two weeks ago.

Sporting News

Rank: 19

Previous: 17

What was that? The Raiders had a comfortable, 16-3 at halftime and were playing inspired in the final game in front of the Black Hole faithful. Then they found a way to wear down against the long road-tripping Jaguars. Remember those good Year 2 vibes with Jon Gruden early in the season? Neither do we.

USA Today

Rank: 25

Previous: 22

Here’s a weird factoid — Silver & Black played more seasons (25) in Oakland after their Los Angeles stint than before 1982 move (22 seasons).

CBS Sports

Rank: 23

Previous: 18

They didn’t exactly send the Oakland fans off with a nice showing in the loss to the Jaguars. This thing has gone bad in a big way.

Average Rank: 22

The Raiders average rank has officially fallen out of the top 20. Unless they can somehow muster up some wins in the next two weeks, that’s where they will remain at seasons end.