This Sunday, the New Orleans Saints return to Caesars Superdome for their home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 of the 2026 regular season. To break it down, Matt Holder of Silver And Black Pride joins us to preview this weekend’s matchup.
NJ: With Klint Kubiak’s first two games as a head coach in the books, both resulting in wins, what are the vibes like around this current Raiders team? Does it feel like they are finally starting to put the pieces together?
MH: It’s Vegas, so I’ll put
it this way: The vibes are as high as starting a bachelor party by hitting the jackpot on a slot machine!
There aren’t many people, myself included, who had the Raiders starting 2-0 this season. I think everyone expected them to beat the Dolphins because Miami is the only organization to hit the reset button harder than Las Vegas did in the offseason. But two weeks ago, the Chargers had Top 10 Super Bowl odds, and the Raiders entered that game as a touchdown underdog, only to win by 12 points. Back-to-back wins and both by two possessions is undoubtedly a great start to the Kubiak era.
Of course, the Dolphins are what they are, and the Chargers are a disorganized mess right now. However, the Raiders were literally the worst team in the league last year. So, at the very least, the team is headed in the right direction by separating themselves from the bottom of the NFL. They’re showing signs of a well-coached team, which Raider Nation hasn’t seen in a long time. This is supposed to be a rebuilding year, and there are plenty of indications that the club is ahead of schedule through two weeks.
NJ: Who are some notable names who will be sidelined for the Raiders on Sunday against the Saints? Does Brock Bowers look ready to go?
MH: Bowers is the big one, and he’s missed the first two games of the season. However, ESPN’s/NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport recently reported that “there’s a good chance” the tight end is back in the lineup this week against the Saints. Bowers was a game-time decision in Los Angeles and was spotted on the field running routes without pads on before ultimately sitting out for one more game. So, all signs point toward the two-time Pro Bowler making his 2026 debut on Sunday.
Defensively, rookie safety Treydan Stukes, who had a solid NFL debut with an interception in Week 1, is in concussion protocol after exiting the Chargers game about halfway through. If Stukes can’t play in New Orleans, that’d be a big hit to Las Vegas’ defense because he’s the best free safety it has. Starting cornerback Darien Porter suffered a foot injury in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins and missed last week’s contest. However, rookie Hezekiah Masses stepped in last Sunday and had two picks, including one to end the game and seal the win for Las Vegas. So, even if Porter is healthy, Masses might get the nod after a strong outing. Those two were competing for a starting spot in training camp.
Other than that, the Raiders are pretty healthy right now. Running back Ashton Jeanty had a scare with a sprained ankle at the end of camp, but Jeanty was fine by the season opener, leading the team with 147 yards and two touchdowns in that contest. He had a bad game last week, but that had nothing to do with his ankle. The Raiders’ offensive line had a tough time in the running game against the Chargers’ defensive tackles, and Jeanty had three drops as a receiver.
NJ: What are some areas that New Orleans could potentially exploit based on what you saw from Las Vegas through the first two week’s?
MH: It’s funny, when the Chargers’ site asked me this question last week, I said load the box and make Kirk Cousins beat them. That’s essentially what L.A. did, taking advantage of Vegas’ shaky guards (Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson), but Cousins beat them. LOL! He struggled to push the ball down the field in Week 1, but it was a different story last Sunday, connecting on a few deep shots to wide receiver Tre Tucker, who had one of the best games of his career with five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Still, I think that’s the best plan of attack for stopping the Raiders’ offense because the 38-year-old’s arm isn’t what it used to be. If I’m Brandon Staley, I’m making Cousins prove it again.
Defensively, Las Vegas’ defense is playing out of its mind right now. It’s a small sample size, but analytics guru Ben Baldwin recently posted a graphic where the unit is leading the NFL in Defensive EPA per play. Granted, that’s against two struggling offenses. But new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has a scheme that’s similar to Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s (Leonard was an assistant under Macdonald with the Ravens in 2022), and it’s helping mask some of the Raiders’ talent deficiencies on that side of the ball. But the defense is weak at defensive tackle and pretty young at cornerback, with either Masses (rookie) or Porter (second-year player with just 11 career starts) starting this week.
So Chris Olave could get favorable matchups, and the Saints could run the ball up the middle. The only problem is Leonard loves to rotate coverage and play a lot of pattern-matching concepts, forcing quarterbacks to hold onto the ball a little longer as they diagnose the defense. Also, he’s big on mixing up the looks in the trenches and doing a lot of stunts to keep offensive linemen on their heels. In other words, it won’t be as simple as lining up and targeting a specific defender.
NJ: Who is one Raiders player you think Saints fans should keep an eye on Sunday—someone who may not receive much national attention but could have a strong performance?
MH: I’ll go with Tucker offensively. Everyone knows about former first-round picks Bowers and Jeanty, but Tucker could be a big X-factor with so much attention paid to the tight end and running back. As mentioned previously, the fourth-year pro is coming off an excellent outing and has really developed into a quality receiver during his tenure in Vegas. Especially since the Saints don’t have a lot of proven talent at cornerback, I think Tucker could be a big part of Kubiak’s game plan.
On defense, I don’t know if Nakobe Dean is a great fit as someone who people don’t recognize. But Dean isn’t exactly a household name and is playing very well right now. He’s helped hide the defensive tackles against the run, coming up with a handful of big stops in key moments, including a forced fumble in the fourth quarter that allowed the Raiders to take a two-possession lead. Also, the free-agent signing is one of the best off-ball blitzers in the league, notching four pressures (1.5 sacks) on six pass-rushers, per Pro Football Focus.
NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Saints (-164) are currently 3.0-point favorites over the Raiders (+138) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction and how do you see the game playing out??
MH: I usually try to stay objective with the score predictions, but the Raiders starting 2-0 is bringing the homer out in me! I think the Saints will undoubtedly be their toughest test yet, especially since it’s their first true road game. Yes, Las Vegas played in Los Angeles last week. But SoFi is always filled with black jerseys when the Silver and Black roll into town, given the organization’s L.A. roots. So, I think Kubiak is able to scheme up some runs for Jeanty and play-action passes to Bowrers and Tucker, while Leonard keeps Tyler Shough guessing enough for the pass-rush to hit home. Raiders 24-21!
Thank you again to Matt Holder for joining us to preview this week’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work here.
