Let’s be honest, the standard is pretty low for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. So, while the now 2-13 club lost to the Houston Texans in Week 16, falling just two points short against one of the hottest teams in the NFL is an accomplishment for this year’s Raiders. Plus, Las Vegas got a handful of notable performances, and the game didn’t ruin the organization’s odds at getting the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft
.With that, there’s a much more positive tune to this week’s winners and losers.
WINNER: Ashton Jeanty
It’s hard to argue that Jeanty wasn’t the Raiders’ biggest winner on Sunday. He recorded just his second game with triple-digit rushing yards and showed plenty of explosiveness on a 51-yard score. Also, he logged a season-high 10 missed tackles forced on the ground, per Pro Football Focus, and hauled in a 60-yard touchdown catch to post the most yards from scrimmage he’s had this year with 188.
This is exactly the type of performance the rookie needed to build some momentum heading into 2026. And as tough a campaign as it’s been, he’s just 172 rushing yards from reaching the 1,000-yard milestone.
LOSER: Darien Porter
Porter has had back-to-back tough performances against strong competition. This week, he was going up against Nico Collins and allowed a pair of catches—both for first downs—and 40 yards on three targets, on top of getting called for pass interference while guarding Collins on another rep. To be fair, the rookie was in a good position on the latter, but he panicked and ended up drawing the flag.
Don’t get it twisted, Porter still has a bright future in Las Vegas. However, it would have been nice to see him rise to the occasion against strong competition.
WINNER: Greg Olson
Again, the standard is pretty low for the Silver and Black this season, and this was the first time they’ve scored 20 or more points since Week 9. Olson put together a pretty good game plan by showing some creativity and keeping the league’s best edge-rush duo, Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, in check, relatively speaking. Yes, Anderson and Hunter had a sack each, but they weren’t nearly as many, myself included, thought they’d be heading into the contest.
Plus, this was the most points the Texans’ defense has given up since Week 10, and only the fourth time all season that they’ve allowed 20 or more points.
WINNER: Eric Stokes
Part of the reason why Houston started picking on Porter with Collins is that the offense wasn’t having any success targeting Stokes. The veteran corner was thrown at six times and yielded just two completions for 13 yards and no first downs, including four targets and one catch for six yards against the Texans’ No. 1 receiver, per PFF.
On top of that, Stokes was credited with one forced incompletion, a 42.4 passer rating when targeted and a defensive stop against the run. Week by week, he’s building a stronger case to get re-signed in the offseason.
LOSER: Lonnie Johnson Jr.
Meanwhile, Johnson is trending in the opposite direction. He missed his eighth tackle of the season and has only played in seven games as a rotational player. Also, he allowed a 21-yard completion and was flagged for pass interference on the two times he was thrown at. Granted, the latter was a ticky-tack call, but the 30-year-old on a one-year deal hasn’t exactly built his case to earn another contract from the Raiders.
WINNER: Isaiah Pola-Mao
It hasn’t been a good season for Pola-Mao, but he turned in a good performance against Houston. The safety finished third on the team in tackles, including a pair of ‘defensive stops’, via PFF. One came against the run with a thundering hit on third and one to force a punt, and the other was in coverage to cap off a well-rounded performance of the safety. That helped Pola-Mao post his highest PFF grade of the season at 70.2.
WINNER: Dylan Parham
While Jeanty got all of the glory, Parham was the Raiders’ highest-graded offensive player according to PFF, earning an elite 90.1 mark that currently leads all qualifying guards for the week (minimum 19 snaps and pre-Monday Night Football). Outside of a holding penalty, he played an excellent game by leading his position with an 84.7 run-blocking grade and surrendering zero pressures on 27 snaps in pass protection.
