The Oakland Raiders are continuing to reap the benefits from their impressive Battle of the Bay victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
After spending most of the season at No. 32 and at the bottom of ESPN's NFL Power Rankings, the voters pushed the Raiders out of the bottom spot this week. The Raiders are now ranked No. 29.
That is a nice push up for the team that wallowed at the bottom for so long. The Raiders are the second highest-ranked team of the five 2-11 teams. The Jets, who beat the Raiders in Week 1, are ranked No. 28.
As of now, the Raiders are projected to pick fifth in the NFL draft. Strength of schedule is part of the five-way tiebreaker, and the Raiders have played the toughest schedule among the 2-11 squads.
As for our Power Rankings, I agree with the nice movement for the Raiders, who have won two of three games after starting 0-9. I voted for Oakland as No. 29.
In other Raiders notes:
The Raiders cut linebacker Jamar Chaney. The Raiders have not filled the roster spot, but there is a strong chance receiver Rod Streater will be activated from the injured reserve-designated to return list. He’s been out since Week 3 with a foot injury.
