Two things can be true about the Las Vegas Raiders’ 3-3 start to the 2026 season. One, the Raiders are playing better than expected, where the rebuild is at least on pace and may even be slightly ahead of schedule. Two, after starting 3-0, dropping three games in a row
against legitimate AFC playoff contenders is disappointing and makes any postseason hopes feel like more of a pipe dream than a reality this fall.Las Vegas was at least competitive in a three-point loss to the Buffalo Bills, giving
room for optimism when it comes to the Week 6 winners and losers. But, at the same time, there are still plenty of holes to patch up, starting with a few offseason free agent signings.
LOSER: Tyler Linderbaum
To be clear, Linderbaum hasn’t been “bad” this season and by no means should be replaced in the starting lineup. But the Raiders didn’t make him the highest-paid center in NFL history by $9 million a year to be Pro Football Focus’ 22nd-ranked center with a 58.8 grade through the first six weeks of the campaign. Sunday was an especially bad outing, as he looked outmatched against Bills’ defensive tackle Deone Walker, posting a season-low 46.8 mark.
“I didn’t feel good about it,” Linderbaum replied when asked about his Week 6 performance, via Raider Nation Radio on X/Twitter. “I let 96 (Walker) dictate the game one me. Great player, credit to him, he came out ready to play. I’ve just got to play better for the team. [The Raiders] brought me here to be a great run blocker and a great pass protector; I just feel like I let a lot of my teammates down today.”
While Walker is having an excellent season, the free-agent addition is supposed to be a Top 5 center in the NFL. That, plus the massive contract, comes with a higher level of expectations, where he, at least, needs to hold his own against top competition. So far, Linderbaum hasn’t held up his end of the bargain and needs to pick it up over the next 11 games, especially since he was brought in to elevate the rest of the offensive line. He also committed his third penalty on a tush-push play. He needs to clean that up as well.
LOSER: Quay Walker
For the second week in a row, Walker got picked on in coverage. He was targeted six times and gave up six completions for 76 yards and a touchdown for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Also, 60 or nearly 80 percent of the yards came after the catch, per PFF. The free-signing is having a good year as a run defender, but he continues to have issues in coverage that opposing offenses have started to exploit.
WINNER: Treydan Stukes
It’s hard to find silver linings on a defense that gave up 33 points, but Stukes had an impressive outing after having the worst game of his young career the week before. The rookie was all over the field with nine total tackles (third-most on the team), posting a season-high three “defensive stops”, per PFF. That helped him post another personal best with a 74.2 run defense grade, and he was solid in coverage as well.
Stukes drew five targets and did allow four completions but for just 17 yards. The one notable reception he gave up was an 11-yard grab to wide receiver Keon Coleman, where the defensive back was in position to contest the catch and just lost at the catch point. So, the four other targets resulted in just six yards and a pass breakup. That’s something the second-round pick can build on moving forward.
LOSER: Darien Porter
On the other end of the spectrum in the secondary, Las Vegas is struggling to find its second starting cornerback.
While Eric Stokes had arguably his best game of the season, Porter might have had his worst. The latter was targeted five times and gave up 59 yards on three completions, while the two incompletions were drops. That led to Hezekiah Masses getting more reps in the second half, who also had issues, drawing a penalty on his lone target.
Inconsistency has been the story of Porter’s young career. He’ll look like the best corner on the roster one week and then lay an egg in the next game. At some point, that has to get ironed out if the 2025 third-round pick is going to become a reliable starter moving forward.
LOSER: Ashton Jeanty
One of the themes for this week’s losers is players who aren’t living up to the billing, and Jeanty falls into that category. Yes, the offensive line leaves something to be desired, but the No. 6 overall pick hasn’t shown that he’s the caliber of back to help overcome issues up front and collect rushing yards over expected (RYOE).
This season, he ranks 25th at the position with negative 15.2 RYOE, per Muffed.ai, and is tied for 26th in missed tackles forced with nine, according to PFF. The latter was especially bad on Sunday, as Jeanty failed to record a single MTF. That’s understandable if he’s dealing with an injury. But, at the same time, if a bum ankle and/or foot are causing him to be ineffective on the field, then it’s time to sit and heal up.
On top of that, the Boise State product dropped his fifth pass of the season and second in as many weeks. It’s time to increase Mike Washington Jr.’s and Dylan Laube’s workloads because Jeanty simply isn’t getting it done right now.
WINNER: Michael Mayer
On a more positive note, Mayer continues to have a career season after getting an early contract extension. His seven catches for 95 yards tie for the third-most and the most he’s had in a single game. Also, the fourth-year pro is seven catches and 62 yards away from setting personal bests in both metrics for an entire season, and there are still 11 games left to play.
Mayer did a lot of work after the catch against the Bills, recording 67 yards — or over 70 percent of his total — with the ball in his hands. That gives him 158 YAC on the season and puts him second behind Travis Kelce (196) for the most among tight ends, per PFF.
WINNER: Tre Tucker
Las Vegas’ wide receiver room has been a big talking point during the 2026 campaign, with many waiting for someone in the position group to step up and be productive. With Brock Bowers not having the same impact on Sunday as the Raiders have come to expect over the last month, the fourth-year wideout stepped up and led the team with five catches for 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Among the scores was an explosive 44-yarder that cut the fourth-quarter deficit to three points, giving the Silver and Black a chance to tie or win the game after a successful onside kick. The latter didn’t happen, but Tucker did his part to put the opportunity on the table.
LOSER: Defensive Tackles
It’s no secret that the Raiders’ defensive tackles leave a lot to be desired. But it feels like the Bills game was another reminder of just how big an issue that position group is. Running back James Cook III had 22 carries for 95 yards (4.3 ypc) and a touchdown, and a lot of his production came from runs that were right up the gut. Meanwhile, Adam Butler led the Raiders’ DTs with a 60.4 PFF run defense grade, just 0.4 points above the baseline. The defense is clearly missing a gap filler in the middle of the trenches right now. Perhaps getting Tonka Hemingway back from a concussion this week will help.
