The Las Vegas Raiders entered Week 8 needing a win to end a four-game losing streak and to tread water in the AFC Playoff race
. While the New York Jets held a two-possession halftime lead, it was mission accomplished for the Raiders by completing the second-half comeback, winning 38-33. That leads to a much more positive tune for this week’s winners and losers.WINNER: Kirk Cousins
After going winless in October, there were plenty of calls for Fernando Mendoza’s tenure in Las Vegas to begin on the first day of November.
However, Klint Kubiak stuck by Cousins with the team still in the postseason hunt, and that decision paid off on Sunday, as the veteran quarterback had arguably his best game of the season.
Cousins completed 19 of 26 passes for a season-high 73.1% completion percentage, in addition to 247 yards and his fourth three-passing touchdown performance of the campaign, mixing in a rushing score and the viral “Wellness Celebration” in the process. So, the quarterback accounted for all four touchdowns that the Raiders scored in New York, while also tossing a pair of “big-time throws” for a season-high 6.9% BTT rate and no “turnover-worthy plays”, according to Pro Football Focus.
That should buy the 38-year-old at least two more starts with the Silver and Black in the conversation for the AFC’s third wild card spot.
WINNER: Brock Bowers
Bowers could probably be a winner every week, but he gets a special shoutout for posting the highest PFF receiving grade (92.2) of any pass-catcher in Week 8 (pre-Monday Night Football). He did that by hauling in seven of nine targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while catching two of three contested targets. For the season, Bowers ranks tied for second among tight ends in receptions (41), first in yards (547) and tied for second in touchdowns despite missing the first two weeks.
LOSER: Eric Stokes
It was pretty clear that part of the Jets’ offensive game plan was to attack Stokes in the passing game. The corner was targeted 11 times, seven more than any other Las Vegas defender, and he gave up seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, per PFF. New York was able to attack his biggest weakness — subpar change of direction skills — designing several out-breaking routes against him.
Stokes managed to somewhat salvage his outing by recording a couple of pass breakups in the red zone versus go or fade routes. However, he had little to no answer for wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, who caught seven of five targets (one drop) for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders’ top corner. Putting it simply, the Silver and Black need a better performance from their best coverage defender if the team is going to be a legitimate playoff contender in the second half of the campaign.
WINNER: Taron Johnson
Heading into the game, I wrote about how Johnson needed to have a strong performance in coverage to slow down red-hot rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who had 11 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns in the two prior games combined. Johnson rose to the occasion, as Cooper was held without a target and quarterback Geno Smith didn’t even test the veteran nickelback. He may not have made any splash plays, but Johnson fulfilled his assignment by taking away a crucial part of New York’s passing game.
LOSER: Run Defense
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen posted a stat on X/Twitter that’s pretty mind-boggling for Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich: New York had 23 rushes for 140 yards (6.1 ypc), but just four carries for 26 yards (6.5 ypc) in the second half. Also, running back Braelon Allen averaged 7.0 ypc (21 rushes, 147 yards), logging a career high in rushing yards with 121 heading into halftime.
In other words, Vegas’ run defense was still awful, and the unit holding New York to just 10 points in the third and fourth quarters says more about the ineptitude on the other sideline than it does about a changing of the tide in the desert. For context, the Jets have a negative 0.12 EPA/rush for the season, according to Sumer Sports, but had a positive 0.08 EPA/rush on Sunday.
WINNER: Red Zone Defense
Don’t get it twisted, Las Vegas defense still had a bad game despite the win. On top of the rushing numbers above, New York threw for 290 yards and averaged 0.34 EPA/pass. But, to give credit where credit is due, part of the reason the Raiders were able to stay in the game was that the defense buckled down in the red zone. The Jets got down there six times but only converted those opportunities into touchdowns twice, posting a negative 0.01 EPA/pass and negative 0.29 EPA/run inside the 20, per Sumer.
Keeping offenses away from the scoring area is still a work in progress, but Rob Leonard’s crew managed to limit the damage enough to keep the offense within striking distance.
WINNER: Mike Washington Jr.
Was Washington particularly spectacular on Sunday? No, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that he received 25 carries to Ashton Jeanty’s two. Also, the Raiders’ rushing attack did a much better job of staying on schedule than it has since the season opener.
To be fair, the Jets were down their best run defender in defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, and this was a small sample size of just one game. But given how bad the Raiders have been at running the ball, Kubiak has to ride the hot hand and keep Washington as the feature back until proven otherwise.
WINNER: Dylan Laube
Laube gets a shoutout for the second week in a row because he’s making a big difference in the return game. He came into the contest leading all qualifying kick returners in yards per return, and increased his lead by taking a 95-yarder to the house, currently sitting at 34.1 yards per return, per PFF. That’s 3.1 yards more than anyone else, and he’s the first player in the league to score on a kick return and the first two to do it for the franchise in a decade and a half!
