NFL week four power rankings round-up: Where the Raiders sit three games in

Three weeks into the season and everyone is getting a better feel for where each NFL team stacks up this season. Or at least they know from where they have to go. For the Raiders, that’s looking like a long climb. A win in the opener over the Broncos gave way to two bad losses to the Chiefs and Vikings in which the Raiders were outscored 62-24.

We looked around the internet to get a roundup of where some of the National outlets place the Raiders in their NFL week four power rankings.

NFL.com

Rank: 25

Previous rank: No. 24

There's no use roasting the Raiders for their showing against the Vikings on Sunday. This remains a team under construction, and Oakland simply isn't ready to hang against a quality opponent on the road. The goal is improvement, and there's plenty of room for that. Since jumping out to a 10-0 lead last week against the Chiefs, the Raiders have been outscored 62-14 by a pair of Super Bowl contenders. And now, a friendly reminder not to trust your box score implicitly: The stats (79.4 percent completion rate, 242 yards, two TDs, a 103.7 passer rating) tell you Derek Carr played a strong game on Sunday. In reality, Carr was a dink-and-dunk machine who got happy feet on a key second-quarter interception and did most of his compiling long after the game was decided. Again, this is a developmental year for the Raiders. We know Jon Gruden, in the second year of a 10-year deal, is staying put beyond 2019. Will Carr? Thirteen games remain on his audition

ESPN

Rank: 24

Previous rank: 22

What we got wrong: That Antonio Brown would be the spark to light the Raiders' offense on fire. I kid, kinda. The Raiders actually avoided a massive headache by dumping him (at the cost of a third- and a fifth-round draft pick), and yet after an emotional season-opening win on Monday Night Football against the rival Broncos in which the offense was clicking and a quick first quarter against the Chiefs in Week 2, the offense has been flat. Or did you miss that 13-play, 42-yard, 6-minute and 20-second drive in the fourth quarter that, with the Raiders trailing 31-7, ended with Derek Carr losing 15 yards on a sack before Daniel Carlson boinked a 51-yard field goal attempt off the right post?

CBS Sports

Rank: 21

Previous rank: 21

That early-season hype has subsided with two straight losses. They just aren’t good enough on defense right now and Derek Carr needs to be better.

ProFootballTalk

Rank: 22

Previous rank: 23

The autumn wind is another double-digit loss.

Sporting News

Rank: 26

Previous rank: 24

Derek Carr has survived and produced OK without Antonio Brown, but he is not going to win much when the running game and run defense are non-existent.

USA Today

Rank: 26

Previous rank: 24

TE Darren Waller is one of the season’s heartwarming success stories. The recovering addict’s 26 catches rank second in the league.

Average rank: 24