Power rankings prove prophetic after Raiders trade Cousins, usher in Mendoza era

As most power rankings were published before the blockbuster trade that sent Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings, the Las Vegas Raiders did not slide like a team that just lost its starting quarterback.

But how much Cousins carried the Raiders through their struggles in the running game and on defense will be put to the test in the second half of the season.

Through nine weeks, Cousins ranked second in passing touchdowns (20) and fifth in passing yards (2,340) — but his three interceptions in a Week 9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers came as a byproduct of trying to make too many plays and overcome the Raiders’ shortcomings — evidence they are still a step behind the contenders.

Power rankers were proven prophetic, predicting a quarterback transition was near after the loss in Santa Clara, Calif.

Onto Fernando Mendoza, who has a tough test ahead in his first career start against the Seattle Seahawks, the league’s No. 1 passing defense that has allowed the fewest passing yards per game (155.1) and the fewest total yards per game (244.2).

Here’s a roundup of the final power rankings of the Cousins era in Las Vegas:

Bleacher Report — 17 (17)

“Things felt different during Las Vegas’ 3-0 start to the season and even after a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the Raiders are still clearly a year away from having realistic aspirations of a deep playoff run. The question right now is if Las Vegas has enough pieces in place to properly support rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza when or if they decide to turn the offense over to him.”

USA Today — 17 (15)

“They’ve rushed for more than 100 yards twice this season and had a season-low 24 on Sunday. They’ve allowed fewer than 100 yards once this season and permitted 190 on Sunday. Not a conducive formula for success.”

Yahoo Sports — 17 (19)

“The Raiders were fairly good on defense early in the season, but that probably had to do with facing the Dolphins and Chargers. After giving up 414 yards and 38 points to the 49ers, the Raiders are 32nd in the NFL in yards and points allowed per game. They’re allowing 6.1 yards per play, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL.”

The Athletic — 20 (19)

“On the one hand, the Raiders, a team with low expectations, got off to a shocking 3-0 start to the season. On the other, they’ve now lost five of their last six games, with their lone win coming against the Jets. They’ve been competitive with Kirk Cousins at the helm, but it feels like reality is starting to creep in.”

Sports Illustrated — 20 (17)

NFL.com — 21 (20)

“Frankly, the Raiders are still operating on the positive side of matters, playing generally competitive football that is, at minimum, entertaining in most weeks.”

Fox Sports — 21 (17)

“The Raiders probably would’ve signed up for 4-5 back before the season began, but that was before their 3-0 start unreasonably raised expectations. Now they are in an unsurprising free fall after being hammered by the Niners on Sunday.”

ESPN — 21 (20)

CBS Sports — 24 (24)

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