After a rough 2024 season, the Las Vegas Raiders are entering the new year with cautious optimism. Despite being swept by the Denver Broncos for the first time since relocating to Las Vegas—a frustrating low point—the tide seems to be turning under new head coach Pete Carroll. Key roster upgrades and a new direction have given fans something to look forward to in 2025.
That said, climbing out of the AFC West basement won’t be easy. The division featured three playoff teams last season, all with double-digit wins. But many within Raider Nation believe the Broncos’ success last year was more illusion than reality.
Denver managed two easy wins over a struggling Raiders squad and barely squeaked into the playoffs, thanks in part to facing Kansas City’s backups in Week 18. Still, you’d think the Broncos were Super Bowl favorites the way they’re carrying themselves—and a lot of that noise is coming from the hype surrounding second-year quarterback Bo Nix.
A first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nix had a decent rookie year—solid, not spectacular. While he outperformed modest expectations, most would agree he wasn’t a game-changer. Yet somehow, he’s now being touted as one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
NFL Spin Zone’s Lou Scataglia recently ranked Nix No. 67 in his list of the top 100 NFL players. Yes, you read that right. Not 167—67.
“Bo Nix was on a 45-touchdown pace late in the 2024 season,” Scataglia wrote. “I truly believe Nix is a lot better than people think. The second-year QB seems to already be a top-10 quarterback in this league.”
That take had Raiders fans rolling their eyes—and laughing. The logic behind it leans heavily on projection and cherry-picked stats, not on consistent, proven performance. A “touchdown pace down the stretch” doesn’t hold much weight when your biggest accomplishments include wins over a broken Raiders team and a Chiefs squad resting its stars.
So while Broncos fans ride the Bo Nix hype train full speed into 2025, Raider Nation is more than content watching from the sidelines—with a smirk.