There’s no sugarcoating it: The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t look like they belonged on the same field as the New England Patriots in the 45-17 Week 5 loss.
The Raiders had an opportunity to build on the momentum they generated in the first month of the season and show the rest of the league that the Silver and Black are legitimate playoff contenders. However, the team fell completely flat and was dominated in every way. So, there’s no room for winners in this week’s winners and losers, as Las Vegas hit
a collective “look yourself in the mirror” moment on Sunday.
LOSER: Rob Leonard
Three weeks ago, it looked like Leonard had revolutionized the Raiders defense. The unit was creating turnovers and held its first two opponents to 14 points or less. Then, the New Orleans Saints managed to put up 27 points, but a flurry of fourth-quarter turnovers saved the day. But in the last two weeks, Las Vegas has given up 75 points and 935 yards with no interceptions and only one fumble recovery.
While Leonard has a good scheme that can create confusion for opposing offenses, he’s clearly become way too predictable as a play caller. That was evident in New England, where Patriots offensive coordinator (and former Raiders head coach) Josh McDaniels called max protection when he knew a pressure look was coming and gave quarterback Drake Maye (26/34 (76.5%), 374 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs) plenty of answers for the Raiders’ coverages.
In other words, Leonard got outcoached for at least the second time in as many weeks. The first-year defensive play caller still has time to turn it around. But he needs to get with the analytics department and understand what his tendacies are to break them and get back to keeping offenses on their toes.
LOSER: Hezekiah Masses
Speaking of the honeymoon period being over, Masses’ three interceptions in Weeks 2 and 3 led to him getting a starting cornerback job over Darien Porter. However, in the last two weeks, the rookie has been targeted nine times and has given up six catches for 102 yards and three touchdowns, according to Pro Football Focus.
Only two of those catches and targets came in New England, but 50 yards and a touchdown were the straw that broke the camel’s back, with Masses getting benched for Porter. Meanwhile, Porter was one of the few defenders who had a decent showing against the Pats, giving up a 49-yard catch but coming up with two pass breakups on four targets and a ‘defensive stop’ against the run.
If Sunday is any indication, the second-year pro likely earned his spot back.
LOSER: Quay Walker
To be honest, both linebackers could be listed here since Nakobe Dean didn’t play well either. But it seemed pretty clear that McDaniels was looking to go after Walker in the passing game, targeting him five times for five completions and a team-high 66 yards, per PFF. On top of that, the free agent signing posted a season-low 49.1 PFF run defense grade and had a rare missed tackle.
Walker has been a good addition for most of the season so far, but Sunday was certainly a performance he’ll want to forget.
LOSER: Spencer Burford
PFF grades aren’t the be-all and end-all, and they leave plenty of room for ambiguity. But Burford posting a 0.0 in pass protection against the Patriots is alarming. He wasn’t charged with a sack, but five pressures (and plenty of losses outside of those reps) aren’t going to cut it. On top of that, he earned a season-low 32.7 mark in the run game as the Raiders averaged a putrid 2.1 yards per carry.
Vegas’ offensive line has been an issue for a few weeks now. Burford may not be the only problem, but it feels like it’s time to try someone else at left guard. For the record, he had a 4.0 pass-blocking grade and six pressures allowed in New Orleans two weeks ago.
LOSER: Tyler Linderbaum
To be clear, Linderbaum is far from the Silver and Black’s biggest issue in the trenches. However, after making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history by a significant margin this offseason, the organization hasn’t gotten what it bargained for.
Through five weeks, the fifth-year pro has a career-low 63.1 PFF grade after steadily sitting in the mid to high 70s during his tenure in Baltimore. The former is 18th among qualifying centers (minimum 156 snaps), and he posted a season-low 50.6 while giving up a sack in pass protection against the Patriots.
In fairness to Linderbaum, that was the first sack he’s given up in 2026, and he’s only yielded five pressures on the campaign. However, the Raiders need more than a 64.1 run-blocking grade for the season and a 58.1 on Sunday, given how much he’s getting paid.
LOSER: Kolton Miller
The running theme of Las Vegas’ season so far is that the last two weeks have felt like a completely different team than the first three games. Miller is part of that, especially in pass protection. He went from surrendering five pressures in the first three games combined to 12 over the last two, including six pressures and two sacks in New England, per PFF. On top of that, the veteran tackle has been in the 50s for his run blocking in back-to-back outings.
The 31-year-old has the track record to suggest he can turn it around. However, his age also suggests that it might be time for the organization to think about the long-term plan when it comes to protecting Fernando Mendoza’s blind side.
LOSER: Wide Receivers
The Raiders are five weeks into the season and still waiting for a wide receiver to establish himself as a reliable contributor. Tre Tucker had a good game against the 0-5 Los Angeles Chargers, but hasn’t been very productive since then. And the latter can be said about nearly every other wideout on the roster.
With the Patriots being down four cornerbacks, including Pro Bowler Christian Gonzalez, this was a great opportunity for a receiver to have a big game and take command of the position group moving forward. Instead, it was the Brock Bowers show again, and the offense is still waiting for a second option in the passing game to emerge.
