NFL Power Rankings: Way too early look at 2019 season

NFL Power Rankings: Way too early look at 2019 season after Patriots win Super Bowl 53

By Dan Parzych | Feb 4, 2019

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 03: Julian Edelman #11 of the New England Patriots and teammate Tom Brady #12 celebrate at the end of the Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 3, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. The New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

30. Oakland Raiders

Rewarding Jon Gruden with that ridiculous $100 million contract was supposed to help the Oakland Raiders return to the level of being a top contender in the AFC after missing out on the playoffs the previous season, which was far from the case.

Between the Raiders moving on from previous key players in Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack along with the lack of wins, 2018 turned out to be a complete disappointment for Gruden’s squad, and having three first-round picks during the upcoming draft can’t even change that.

From Oakland’s perspective, the addition of Gruden with his history of quarterback development was supposed to help Derek Carr reach a whole new level, which could potentially still happen, but wasn’t the case one bit.

Sadly, this Raiders team is showing early signs of needing another year or two of rebuilding before they seem ready to jump into the playoff conversation, but at least those draft picks early on will be helpful.

To top it off, Oakland plays in the same division as two of the early Super Bowl contenders for next season in the Los Angles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, putting them in an even more difficult spot for the offseason. Gruden better hope the results are much different next season, or the Raiders are going to regret hiring the head coach whey they did even more.

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