NFL Power Rankings: Have the Oakland Raiders Turned a Corner?

The Oakland Raiders are one of the most difficult teams to peg down right now.

It's fitting that the Raiders were 8-8 last season because they've always been half and half, good and bad.

In Week 1 of this season, they were good, defeating the Denver Broncos 23-20 on the back of running back Darren McFadden and a 63-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.

In Week 2 of this season, they lost to the Buffalo Bills 38-35 after allowing Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to pass for 264 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning strike to David Nelson with 14 seconds remaining in the game.

The Raiders have a great rushing offense led by McFadden, but you wonder sometimes if quarterback Jason Campbell can consistently put up big numbers when he's been good, but not great throughout his career.

The Raiders have a solid defense, but you wonder, like in the Bills game, if they can make up for the loss of top cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

I blasted the Raiders in the offseason for being largely complacent. In Week 1, the Raiders raised my eyebrows. In Week 2, my eyebrows were furrowed.

I'll say this, the Raiders have an identity, and that's more than I can say for some teams. They also have McFadden, who appears ready to singlehandedly carry them in what should be a career year for the former Arkansas star.

But do they have enough to win the AFC West or capture a wild-card berth? I'm not so sure.

It's performances like in Week 2 that worry me about the Raiders. For example, in 2010 they went 6-0 vs. the division but lost to just about everyone else. I don't know what that is, I can't really explain it, but it's nonetheless concerning.

As far as the division, I think the Chargers have too much talent to cede it to the Raiders. They're 1-1 thus far, but their loss was to the New England Patriots, which isn't exactly anything to be ashamed of. In short, they have a better offense and defense than the Raiders.

In the wild-card picture, the Raiders will likely be battling with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets or possibly even the Bills, who have started off 2-0.

Are they a better team than the Steelers, Ravens or Jets? No.

We may be looking at another 8-8 season and omission from the postseason.

NFL Power Rankings Week 3

1. Green Bay Packers 2. New England Patriots 3. Pittsburgh Steelers 4. New Orleans Saints 5. Atlanta Falcons 6. Philadelphia Eagles 7. Baltimore Ravens 8. New York Jets 9. Detroit Lions 10. Houston Texans 11. San Diego Chargers 12. Dallas Cowboys 13. Chicago Bears 14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15. New York Giants 16. Washington Redskins 17. Oakland Raiders 18. Kansas City Chiefs 19. Tennessee Titans 20. Buffalo Bills 21. St. Louis Rams 22. San Francisco 49ers 23. Jacksonville Jaguars 24. Miami Dolphins 25. Indianapolis Colts 26. Carolina Panthers 27. Arizona Cardinals 28. Cleveland Browns 29. Minnesota Vikings 30. Cincinnati Bengals 31. Denver Broncos 32. Seattle Seahawks