The Las Vegas Raiders have passed their first two tests of the 2026 season. However, in the NFL, the exams only get tougher as each week passes, and that’s the case with the Raiders’ Week 3 matchup on the road against the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints are an up-and-coming team in the league, finishing last season strong and beginning the current campaign 1-1, with a one-point overtime loss to the Detroit Lions serving as the blemish on their record. A big reason for New Orleans’ rise is its relatively
new quarterback and wide receiver connection: Tyler Shough and Chris Olave.
Dating back to last season, Shough has been the Saints’ starting quarterback for 11 games, and Olave has 76 receptions for 962 yards and six touchdowns during that timeframe. Over the past two weeks, they’ve been one of, if not the best, duos at taking deep shots to put heavy stress on opposing secondaries (more details in this week’s key matchups column).
The other aspect of Olave’s game that makes him a tough cover is that he splits his time fairly evenly between being a left or right outside receiver and in the slot. So every defensive back who steps on the field for the Raiders will have to be on high alert.
Las Vegas’ secondary has been fairly stingy so far, as the team ranks 11th in the NFL with just 368 passing yards allowed in two games. However, the unit hasn’t seen a passing attack as strong as New Orleans’ yet, and there are a few question marks in the defensive backfield.
Rookie free safety Treydan Stukes is in concussion protocol, while Week 1 starting corner Darien Porter missed the Chargers game with a foot injury and was limited during the team’s first practice of the week. Granted, rookie corner Hezekiah Masses might start anyway, seeing as he’s coming off an AFC Defensive Player of the Week performance with two interceptions. But Sunday would be just Masses’ second career start. Meanwhile, veterans Eric Stokes and Taron Johnson haven’t been particularly sticky in coverage to begin the campaign.
So, for this week’s game day discussion on The FEED, we’ll be focusing on the Raiders’ secondary to see if they can keep Olave in check, since that should be defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s biggest key of the game. The game kicks off at 1:25 p.m. PST and will air on CBS (check your local listings). I look forward to talkin’ some ball with y’all!
