20. Las Vegas Raiders
Last week: 13th
The Raiders are in a complete free fall at the moment.
After starting the season 3-0 and looking like one of the best surprises of the season, they have completely fallen off the rails. That doesn’t mean they’ve gotten blown out every week since that 3-0 start, but dropping four straight games in any fashion is proof that the Raiders’ September was more of a mirage than anything.
What’s worse? The Raiders are now 1-3 playing in front of their home fans. It wasn’t that long ago they were 3-0 and hosting the 3-0 Chiefs in front of that home crow, eager to finally see the team playing some competitive games again.
But this defense in Las Vegas is a serious problem.
Even with two takeaways against the Rams, the Raiders still allowed 35 points, 28 (!!!) first downs, and the Rams were 5-for-5 in their red zone opportunities. Just an absolutely massive “yikes” from the Raiders this week.
It’s still early, but it might be getting close to the right time to start talking about Fernando Mendoza, even if Kirk Cousins is not the primary issue for the Raiders right now.
19. Houston Texans
Last week: 12th
I want to believe that the Texans are going to turn things around, but I’m just not seeing how it’s going to happen this season.
Even with CJ Stroud seemingly playing some of the best football of his career, the regression of the Houston defense has been a sight to behold.
The Texans were more than just one of the NFL’s stingiest pass defenses last year. They were an absolute nightmare to have to throw the ball against. Whether it was the pass rush getting home or the secondary shrinking the field, the Texans were just a force in 2025.
What happened to those guys?
As always, losing is a team effort in the NFL. The Texans were 3-of-12 on third-down attempts. They lost the time of possession battle 26:45-33:15. They had 10 penalties. They can’t run the ball.
Now at 2-5, they’re skating by on reputation, but even that’s going to fizzle in the near future.
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