The New York Jets are at home in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday for the 8th game of their 2026 campaign. They will be facing the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have lost four straight games after starting the season 3-0.
Previewing this matchup, Matt Holder, a writer at Silver and Black Pride, was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2026 Las Vegas Raiders.
1. The Raiders started the season with a bang, going 3-0 out of the gate, before falling back to earth recently with a four-game
losing streak. What was going right for the Raiders early on, and why have they reversed course recently?
A big part of it was the schedule. The Raiders got to start the season against the Dolphins (who could lose to them?), Chargers and Saints. Those teams are a combined 3-16, while the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams (the four-game losing streak) are all legitimate playoff/Super Bowl contenders. Granted, the Rams aren’t the juggernaut many thought they’d be, but Los Angeles was on a mission last week.
The other major factor is Las Vegas’ defense. In the first two games, the unit held Miami and the Chargers to 13 and 14 points, respectively. Then, New Orleans managed to put up 27 points, and it started to feel like the defense was showing some cracks. That proved true, seeing as the Raiders averaged over 35 points per game allowed in October.
Ultimately, the Raiders’ defense is too reliant on creating turnovers. They had nine in the first three games, including four fourth-quarter turnovers to fuel a comeback against the Saints. However, they have just three in the last four games, with two coming in the second half against the Rams last week when the game was already out of hand.
The quality of opponents and quarterbacks certainly played a role in that, as well as defensive coordinator Rob Leonard showing signs of being a first-time play caller. Leonard has a decent scheme (he’s running a similar system to Mike Macdonald in Seattle), and he was able to create some confusion with safety rotations and unique coverages in the first month of the season. However, now that the book is out on him, good offensive play-callers have been able to pick on Leonard’s tendacies.
At the end of the day, this was supposed to be year one of a two-year rebuild in Vegas. This is a team that was literally the worst in the NFL last year, and Klint Kubiak has managed to pull them out of the basement by winning those first three contests. But the 3-0 start was a mirage when it comes to the Raiders’ playoff hopes, and the last four weeks proved that.
2. The Raiders hope they have found a long term answer at quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Fernando Mendoza. When do you think we’ll see Mendoza take over at quarterback? Who do you think should be starting at this point, Cousins or Mendoza, and if it’s Cousins, what would cause you to change course and get Mendoza in there?
If it were up to me, Mendoza would be taking over as the starter this week. Cousins is far from the team’s biggest issue — he’s actually played above expectations this season — but it’s clear the Raiders aren’t going to the postseason with him because the rest of the roster just isn’t ready yet. To me, why delay the inevitable? It’s time to start planning for the future by giving the rookie as much experience as possible and letting him work through the struggles. Get the bad games out now, learn from them and grow for 2027 and beyond.
But of course, that’s irrelevant since Kubiak doesn’t agree and his opinion is what really matters, not mine. I wasn’t surprised at all that Kubiak announced Cousins will remain the starting quarterback this week because Las Vegas is technically still “in the hunt”. The head coach literally said that when he made the announcement. Also, I think the staff wants to figure out the offensive line woes and the running game before throwing Mendoza to the wolves. I get that; I just don’t think those changes are going to happen until the offseason.
It’s trending toward the No. 1 pick taking over after the bye week. The Raiders have a late bye this year (Week 13), meaning he wouldn’t start until December. However, the schedule softens up with games against the Chargers, Broncos (tough matchup), Titans, Cardinals and Chiefs (who might have nothing to play for in Week 18) to round out the season. Meanwhile, the Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, Broncos and Browns are up next, and all five teams have pretty strong defenses.
3. Can you give us a synopsis of what the 2026 Raiders draft class has looked like so far, and what you expect from them as the year goes on?
One of the potentially concerning parts of the Raiders’ rebuild is that safety Treydan Stukes is the only player from the draft class who is starting consistently right now.
As mentioned above, Mendoza will take over at some point, but obviously, he hasn’t done anything yet. Stukes has been a good rookie free safety, but third-round picks edge Keyron Crawford (out for the season with an injury) and offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III (the offense’s jumbo tight end right now) have barely contributed. Granted, that could change this week because Kubiak hinted at shaking up the offensive line (for the second time in the first half of the season), and Zuhn would be the next man up at guard.
Cornerback Jermod McCoy was considered the “steal of the draft”, as a first-round talent who went in the fourth. However, McCoy has looked like a guy who hasn’t had many live reps since 2024 when he has been on the field, even though he’s played a limited number of snaps this season. Running back Mike Washington Jr. has contributed (40 carries, 195 yards, 1 TD) as the No. 2 back behind Ashton Jeanty, and has the better yards per carry (4.9 to 3.1) of the two backs. Granted, defenses definitely key in on Jeanty more when he’s in the backfield.
Fifth-round corner Hezekiah Masses has provided some good moments with a team-leading three interceptions (the defense has five total) and has made four starts. However, Masses is very reliant on his ball skills and isn’t sticky in coverage, giving up a lot of yards in coverage, too. That’s led to him splitting reps with second-year pro Darien Porter over the last few weeks.
That’s pretty much all of the notable rookies since safety Dalton Johnson (fifth-rounder, active for one game so far), wide receiver Malik Benson (sixth-rounder, special teamer) and defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland (seventh-rounder, currently on practice squad) round out the class.
4. Every team has a player or two who may be somewhat unfamiliar to other teams’ fans but is known to be an unsung hero by fans of his own team. Who are the Raiders’ unsung heroes? If possible, give us one guy on each side of the ball.
Defensively, there aren’t many options, but I’d say Stukes is the unsung hero. The rookie hasn’t been perfect, but he has made a few plays in both coverage and against the run to provide some hope for his long-term outlook. When Stukes was injured early in the season, there was a clear drop-off in the Raiders’ safety play, and he’s been a big improvement over what the Raiders had on the back end last year. Also, linebacker Nakobe Dean could fall into this category since he’s responsible for four turnovers this season, but I feel like most people already know who Dean is.
Offensively, there are two I can’t pick between: wide receiver Tre Tucker and tight end Michael Mayer. Tucker’s production comes in spurts — his biggest calling card is as a deep threat — but he ranks 16th in the league with 474 receiving yards heading into Week 8. Also, he’s had a good two-game stretch with 10 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills and Rams.
Meanwhile, Mayer is the Raiders’ true tight end since Brock Bowers lines up as a wide receiver more often than he is in-line. I was surprised to see Mayer get an early contract extension right before the regular season given his previous production. However, he’s held up his end of the bargain, ranking sixth among tight ends with 31 receptions and ninth with 298 yards. He’s been a great checkdown option for Kirk Cousins (who likes to check the ball down) and has scored a touchdown while also being a solid blocker in the running game.
5. If you were an opposing head coach, how would you attack this Raiders team on offense and on defense?
Aaron Glenn’s defensive game plan can be simple: blitz.
Cousins’ age shows up when he’s under pressure, where his lack of arm strength and mobility are really highlighted. If you give the 38-year-old a clean pocket, he can beat you down the field. But the moment he sees a free rusher or some pressure coming, the issues rear their heads. And in the running game, if linebackers just attack the guards, there isn’t much the latter can do about it. That was a trouble spot last year and continues to be a big part of the issue with Jeanty’s lack of production. Load up the box and bring the heat, and Las Vegas is going to have a tough time moving the ball.
Offensively, Frank Reich made headlines with his 05 personnel package or play early in the season, and he should take advantage of the depth New York has at tight end. The Rams used 13 personnel on 50% of their plays last week, and the Raiders had no answer for it. That’s kind of been the story of the losing streak, as the defense has really struggled against two- and three-tight end sets over the last month and can’t stop the run. Vegas’ coverage unit isn’t great either, so the offensive game plan doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Just protect the ball.
