Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
Peter King is stirring the pot with his first rankings of an NFL season that is sure to be bonkers.
NFL insider Peter King is no stranger to offering up controversial opinions. While he’s nowhere near Skip Bayless’ level, King can surely raise some eyebrows every now and then. Such was the case with his most recent NFL power rankings heading into the 2020 campaign.
At No. 1 and No. 2, to no one’s surprise, King has the Chiefs and Ravens at the top of the list. With Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City expected to push for back-to-back Super Bowl titles, them being thought of as the best team in the league is right on target. But, King’s No. 5 and No. 8 picks? Well, you may want to take a seat for these selections.
Some power-ranking surprises (Bucs 5th? Raiders 8th?!) take a back seat in my latest column.
Our country is at a crossroads.
Football Morning In America is now live: https://t.co/nPiRxnqicA pic.twitter.com/5TP7Gd6vVR
— Peter King (@peter_king) June 1, 2020
What were Peter King’s boldest rankings?
Interestingly enough, King putting the Buccaneers at No. 5 on his list isn’t even the biggest shock, but it will surely turn heads. Sure, Tampa Bay and Bruce Arians have welcomed in Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Will that be enough to propel them over the Saints in the NFC South?
Keep in mind, Brady is 42 years old and Gronk just took a year off of football. Instead of suiting up on Sundays in 2019, he spent his time promoting CBD products and brawling it out for the WWE. King having the Bucs as top-five team just seems way out of left field.
However, it’s not as head-scratching as his move to put the Raiders at No. 8 on his rankings. That’s not a typo, folks. Despite Mr. Mediocre Derek Carr leading the Las Vegas offense, King thinks the addition of Henry Ruggs will propel this offense to new levels. Adding a 38-year-old Jason Witten to the mix seems to impress him as well.
Though exciting times are ahead for fans in Sin City, the Raiders being placed at No. 8 makes zero sense, especially with the Broncos slotting in at No. 20. This is a slap in the face to the Broncos, who have had an impressive offseason and will be featuring young quarterback Drew Lock in 2020. With him running the offense, many expect Denver to make a push for the postseason.
King decided to mix things up with his latest rankings, and it sure featured plenty of surprises. Look for fans to point out how wrong he is once the regular season comes to a close this winter.