A tale of two halves.
It’s a hackneyed description of sporting events in general, however, what occurred within the confines of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey between the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and the host New York Jets epitomized that classic phrase.
Gang Green came out like gangbusters at home going 5-for-5 on each of its first-half offensive possessions to build a 23-14 advantage at halftime. And after Braelon Allen’s hard-charging 21-yard gallop in the third quarter, the Jets went an impeccable
6-for-6 with points scored after each of those drives orchestrated by offensive coordinator Frank Reich and quarterback (and former Raider) Geno Smith.
The Silver & Black, meanwhile, produced just 103 yards on offense and a single touchdown — a ridiculous one-handed grab by tight end Brock Bowers — while reserve running back and dynamic kick return man Dylan Laube made a house call on a 95-yard kickoff return (the first of the 2026 NFL season, by the way) and only possessed the ball for 10:43 compared to the Jets 19:17 time of possession.
But that Allen breakaway-touchdown was the last end zone visit for the Jets. The Raiders put forth an exhibition in complementary football in the second half going 3-for-3 on their offensive possessions to outscore New York 24-10 as the J-E-T-S, L-O-S-T a game in which they dominated in the first half.
The Silver & Black’s display of resurgence and resilience (which had been lacking in the four-consecutive losses) produced a rally and a 38-33 Las Vegas win to snap the four-game slide and get the team back to .500 at 4-4 overall.
“I thought halftime-wise, our guys (said), ‘We’re not happy,’” Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said after the game. “We made some adjustments and the guys just played harder. Our guys kept battling.”
With Las Vegas opening up the third quarter with a methodical 10-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in Bowers’ second touchdown (two-yard variety), Rob Leonard’s much-maligned defense held its own against Reich, Smith, and Co. in the second stanza limiting the Jets offense to two punts, a field goal, and ending the game with an interception. That just showcases the dramatic 180-degree turn the two teams did after trading touchdowns at the onset of the third quarter.
“It’s just about taking a stand,” Raiders edge rusher Crosby said. “At some point it really comes down to winning your one-on-one’s and outworking the man in front of you. That’s what I felt like we did. We came out with an attitude in the second half and I feel like we played a lot better collectively.”
With the defense no longer rolling out the carpet in red zone, Kubiak and his offense led by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins went to work besting head coach Aaron Glenn’s Jets defense. Another 10-play, 65-yard drive ended with Cousins’ one-yard QB sneak to cut the deficit to 30-28 late in the third quarter. Las Vegas’ ensuing drive after a New York punt was a nine-play, 84-yard end zone visit that featured a screen pass to running back Ashton Jeanty who fell after the catch but got up untouched for a 45-yard gain. That helped set up the Cousins-to-Nailor connection for a touchdown (the tweet above) to generate a 35-30 lead for the Raiders.
The two teams traded field goals late in the fourth (which became the eventual final score) and Las Vegas safety Jeremy Chinn made up for a 15-yard penalty unnecessary roughness on his hit on Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson with a game-ending, toe-tap interception of Smith’s last-gasp end zone heave.
There’s plenty of areas of opportunity for the Raiders — namely beating a good team rather than dropping bad teams — but snapping the skid with a road win is a good sign nonetheless.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Laube sprinted past the Jets special teams on his kick return touchdown:
—Cousins is simply thriving in his reunion with Kubiak as he threw three touchdowns and totaled 297 yards on 19 of 26 passing. He was sacked once but continues to be an accurate ball distributor in Kubiak’s Raiders offense. The 38-year-old quarterback even had a unique celebration on his touchdown plunge.
—Raiders rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. paced the ground game with 25 carries for 83 yards (3.3 yards per carry average) and a long of 15. He out-touched his much higher drafted teammate Jeanty (two carries for nine yards). Kubiak said after the game the call to put the ball in Washington’s hands was his and Jeanty remains a “big part” of the Raiders offense.
—Bowers and fellow tight end Michael Mayer continue to be active targets as the former finished with seven receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns while the latter had five catches for 53 yards. Jeanty was sandwiched between the two hauling in three passes for 64 yards.
—Middle linebacker Nakobe Dean paced the Raiders defense with 12 total tackles. Chinn was second with 10 total stops. Pass-rush wise, Crosby racked up a sack as did nose tackle Tim Keenan III. Speaking of Keenan, he’s every bit of his listed 6-foot-2 and 327-pound frame — if not even bigger than that.
—Smith was letting it fly in the first half showcasing that he still can throw a nice deep ball. He did have bouts of inaccuracy but finished 20 of 32 for 290 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. He was sacked twice. His favorite targets — wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Garrett Wilson — were productive with the former having seven catches for 142 yards and a score and the latter with six grabs for 83 yards.
—Once Raiders rookies Treydan Stukes gets the NFL speed and timing down, the pass breakups he had against the Jets can turn into takeaways (interceptions). He jumped too early on Smith’s end zone pass to rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq on New York’s opening drive and again on Mitchell’s deep catch (tweet above). Ditto for rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses who also jumped too early on a would-be pick of Smith in the fourth quarter.
Quotes of Note
“The Silver & Black (were) out. We heard them, they were loud. They supported us pregame, all during the game and especially in that fourth quarter. That was really special, very grateful for our fans. Our players (were) very resilient, played four quarters of football. It wasn’t all pretty, but it’s not always going to be pretty. It’’s finding a way to win.”
—Las Vegas Raider head coach Klint Kubiak on the well-traveled Raider Nation fan base who were vocal in MetLife Stadium
“I’ve always tried to not ride the roller coaster. But that also means when things are going well, I’m a little more steady. You’ve just got to believe that if you keep playing, there’s a good chance you’ll be there in the fourth quarter.”
—Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins on the second-half explosion compared to getting stonewalled in the fist half
Up Next
The Raiders draw quite the challenge this coming Sunday with the 6-1 San Francisco 49ers. The Niners will head to the desert for the Week 9 matchup inside Allegiant Stadium and come off a bye week. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is no stranger to Kubiak (the younger and elder, Klint’s father Gary) and is eager to get his NFC West-leading team back in the win column after being stunned by the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 29-20.
