In what was viewed as a rebuilding year during the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders find themselves at 2-0 heading into their last game of September. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints (1-1) are one point (and a controversial overturned strip sack) away from also being undefeated leading into the Raiders-Saints Week 3 contest.
That puts two teams who are looking to end the month as potential playoff contenders against each other, where winning the three key matchups below could go a long way toward
accomplishing that goal.
Raiders DBs vs. Shough-Olave
It’s early, but the Saints are making a compelling argument to have one of the NFL’s best young quarterback and wide receiver duos between Tyler Shough (turns 27 on Monday) and Chris Olave (26). Shough currently leads the league in passing yards with 662 through two games, while Olave is second in receiving yards with 268. A big reason for that is those two have a strong connection down the field.
According to Pro Football Focus, the second-year QB has completed six of eight (75%) pass attempts of 20 or more yards past the line of scrimmage, which is tied for the second-most completions and tied for best completion percentage on such throws. Additionally, he ranks third with 197 yards and owns a near-perfect PFF grade (99.9) on deep passes.
Olave has been Shough’s go-to receiver, especially when pushing the ball downfield. He’s caught three of five targets (with one drop) and is third among wide receivers with 110 receiving yards on targets of 20-plus yards, trailing leader Davante Adams by just four yards, per PFF. The drop brings down Olave’s grade a bit, but he’s still tied for 12th at the position with a 94.2 mark.
So, Las Vegas’ safeties will have to be on high alert. Rookie Treydan Stukes has taken the team’s most snaps at free safety (67) and looked sharp in the season opener, coming down with an interception off a deep shot from Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis. However, Stukes exited last week’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers early with a concussion and hasn’t cleared the NFL’s protocol at the time of writing.
That could mean Jeremy Chinn, the Raiders’ strong safety, rotates to the backend of the defense more often. Chinn has the second-most snaps at free safety (65) and is solid in that role but typically does his best work in the box.
Meanwhile, Isaiah Pola-Mao is the backup centerfielder and was a starter last year, but lost his job to Stukes in training camp. Pola-Mao filled in for the rookie last week and, most notably, had a coverage bust that yielded a 53-yard catch.
But beyond the deep ball, a big part of what makes Olave a difficult cover is that he commands the entire secondary’s attention because he lines up all over the place. Of his 134 snaps in 2026, 48 have come as a left outside receiver, 44 on the right side and 42 in the slot, per PFF, a near 33.3% split across the board. So, cornerbacks Eric Stokes, Taron Johnson, Hezekiah Masses and/or Darien Porter all have to be at their best.
Stokes was one of the few pleasant surprises from last year’s 3-14 team, ranking first among cornerbacks with 19.8 coverage snaps per reception during the regular season, per PFF. However, he’s struggled during the first two games of 2026, allowing five catches on nine targets (55.6%) for 63 yards and a 45.4 PFF coverage grade. Also, he hasn’t forced any incompletions this year, with three coming via errant throws and another receiver tipping the ball in the passing lane to account for the other.
Johnson has been solid in slot coverage, giving up just two completions on three targets when playing nickel. However, he is susceptible to giving up a big play, with the two catches going for 42 yards, and the incompletion was a drop that would have been another 20-yard or more gain. The veteran defensive back has also been rotating into a free safety spot post-snap under new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard to factor into the deep ball equation as well.
Finally, Masses is coming off his first start, where he won AFC Defensive Player of the Week by hauling in two interceptions. He was filling in for the injured Porter — whose Week 3 status is up in the air at the time of writing — and has been targeted seven times for two completions, 16 yards, one PBU (in addition to the two picks) and a 0.0 passer rating, per PFF.
That will likely keep the rookie in the starting lineup even if Porter is healthy. But it still wouldn’t be surprising to see the second-year pro get at least some run, since he gave up just one catch and 12 yards despite getting thrown at five times by the Dolphins.
Long story short, everyone in Las Vegas’ secondary must show up to keep Shough and Olave in check.
Miller vs. Young
Defensively, New Orleans doesn’t have many stars and has been a below-average unit through two weeks, ranking tied for 18th in points (48) and 23rd in yards (681) allowed. However, edge rusher Chase Young headlines the Saints’ defense and has had a hot start to the 2026 campaign.
Among edge-rushers who have at least 18 pass-rush snaps, Young is tied for seventh with nine pressures (1.5 sacks), has the third-best win rate (26.0%) and is fifth in PFF pass-rush grade (85.8). Also, he’d have a strip-sack on his 2026 stat line if it weren’t for the controversial call referenced above.
After injuries slowed down the beginning of his NFL tenure, the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year revived his career with the Saints, coming off a 10-sack performance in 12 games a year ago. Seeing as Young lines up almost exclusively as a right outside linebacker, he’s a big problem for opposing left tackles.
Meanwhile, Kolton Miller has been the blindside protector for several Raiders quarterbacks over the last eight, going on nine seasons. He’s made a name for himself in pass protection over the years, and the first two games of 2026 have been no different. Per PFF, Miller has surrendered just two pressures on 63 opportunities to rank tied for second among offensive tackles with an 84.3 pass pro grade.
That sets up for arguably the most important one-on-one battle in the trenches of the game.
Jeanty vs. Elliss
While Kaden Elliss doesn’t have any Pro Bowls or All-Pros on his resume, he’s one of the most underrated linebackers in the NFL. Elliss is a Swiss Army knife who can contribute on all three phases of the defense, which is why the Saints gave him a three-year, $33 million contract to return to New Orleans in the offseason.
The eight-year veteran has shown off his versatile skill set to begin this season. In coverage, he’s only surrendered 19 yards when targeted, ranking tied for 16th among qualifying linebackers, and is yielding a completion once every 20 coverage snaps (tied for ninth), per PFF. As a run defender, his five ‘defensive stops’ are one less than the nine-way tie for first at the position, and his 1.7 average depth of tackle is tied for 16th (minimum 14 run defense snaps).
But what makes Elliss somewhat unique for an off-ball backer is his pass-rush ability. The former seventh-round pick finished last season with the second-most pressures (30) at the position, and he currently ranks second in the metric with six on 19 opportunities in 2026. That’s where having a father, Luther Elliss, who is a former two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle and 1995 first-round pick, helps.
In other words, Elliss and Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty should see plenty of head-to-head matchups on Sunday.
Jeanty has had two very different performances this season. In Week 1, the offensive line paved plenty of rushing lanes for him to pick up 102 rushing yards (4.4 ypc), with 79 of them coming after contact, per PFF. However, Las Vegas’ offensive line had much more trouble with Los Angeles’ front seven, limiting the running back to 48 rushing yards (2.3 ypc), while he accounted for 54 yards after contact.
The passing game followed a similar trend. The 2025 sixth overall pick had six catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns against Miami but was plagued with three drops last week, limiting him to just 15 receiving yards on four catches. However, he has been consistent (and much improved from a year ago) in pass protection, with no pressures allowed in two games. Granted, Jeanty has had only seven snaps in pass protection so far.
While Brock Bowers is potentially making his season debut, don’t be surprised if this linebacker-running back matchup ends up being one of the biggest factors in how effective the Raiders are at moving the ball.
