The Saints are set to finally host their home opener for the 2026 season against the Las Vegas Raiders in a matchup of two teams that have surprised the league through the first two weeks of the season.
The Raiders have former Saints OC Klint Kubiak as their new head coach, and through the first two weeks of the season, Kubiak has the Raiders humming as a team. The Raiders had the first overall pick and selected Fernando Mendoza, but Mendoza has yet to make a start. Instead, it’s been Kirk Cousins
leading the charge for the Raiders.
Now, the Raiders have played against what may possibly be two of the worst teams in the NFL in the Dolphins and the Chargers, but the Raiders beat them, and Cousins played pretty well in both games. So far through two games, Cousins has completed 67.8% of his passes for 413 yards, 6 TDs, and 3 interceptions. He has also been sacked twice so far this season.
Cousins is very familiar with playing against the Saints and in the Dome, but this experience may be a little different. Being at home, the defense will want to pressure Cousins up the middle, and having a true home-field advantage will help with slowing down the offensive linemen from getting off the ball, especially on the edges.
Keep in mind, Cousins is a 15-year veteran, so fooling him will not be something that is easily accomplished. Blitzing for the sake of blitzing should not be the focus here. Instead, change what he sees post-snap and make the pressure feel like it’s always coming at him through simulated looks. If the rush can start making him hesitate, he will hold the ball and also start to force passes into tight windows, which could lead to increasing that already elevated interception number that he has.
Tyler Shough is coming into his first game as the captain of this team and is also coming off one of the biggest road victories this team has had in nearly half a decade. The Dome will be ready to celebrate the new face of the team, and deservedly so.
Shough is finding his groove. Shough is currently leading the NFL in several categories: passing yards with 662, completions with 62, 20-yard completions with 11, and passing yards per game with 331. He is also second in attempts with 90.
Through two games, Shough has 4 TDs and 2 INTs. The great thing about this is that both interceptions came in the Week 1 game against the Lions, and he was able to finish the game against the Ravens with 0 turnovers. Shough has to stay on this path and continue to limit the turnovers.
He will have a tough challenge this week, as starting LT Kelvin Banks Jr. will be out with a high ankle sprain, and the Raiders will feature Maxx Crosby, one of the league’s best pass rushers. So, protection will be at a premium.
The Saints will also have to get a run game going to support Shough, keep the linebackers and safeties off balance, and utilize the play-action game as an actual threat. Shough will also have to identify the coverage. The Raiders will feature a 3-4 base defense that will mix up which four defenders will rush.
Three keys to keep Shough rolling as one of the best QBs in the league for this game can be simplified to the three Ps: protection, patience, and play action.
This is a matchup of a very experienced veteran who is mentoring a future starter and a young, rising QB who is showcasing a little bit of superstar potential. Who will be the one who can come out on top in this matchup?
Can the Saints force the veteran to the bench and push Kubiak to put in the young rookie because they need a spark? That is very unlikely, especially on the road, but that was a situation Tyler Shough found himself in during the middle part of last season against the Rams.
Sunday will be a very fun game. Two teams that no one really had high expectations for will face off, and the Saints walk into this matchup with the edge at the QB position.
Who do you think will have the better game? What do you think the Saints should do to help elevate Shough and slow down Cousins?
