Coming off a big win in Buffalo, the New England Patriots are returning back home in Week 5. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel, now in possession, of a 2-2 record, will host the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium.
The Raiders have been one of the surprise teams of the season thus far. What can the Patriots therefore expect? Let’s find out.
Raiders key stats
The Raiders have opened the season with a 3-1 record, their best start since 2021. Unsurprisingly, their numbers look the part.
What can be seen immediately,
is that Las Vegas has one of the best scoring differentials in football — a result of both the offense and defense performing at a high level so far.
Offensively, the Raiders have been particularly good moving the ball through the air. Led by veteran Kirk Cousins, the unit has generally been effective. The run game remains a work in progress, though, ranking only 29th in EPA per play and 32nd in yards per attempt.
Defensively, there is no such split: the unit is stout both in the passing game and against the run, generates plenty of pressure, and has taken the ball away more than any other team in the league through four games. It has struggled a bit in the red zone (29th) but overall has been very good and a key reason why Las Vegas is 3-1 in the first place.
Raiders 2026 season
As noted above, the Raiders are in the midst of their best start since 2021 — an impressive feat given that they are a) led by a first-team head coach and b) picked first overall in April. That said, the record requires some context.
Week 1: 27-13 win vs. Miami Dolphins (1-0)
Week 2: 26-14 win at Los Angeles Chargers (2-0)
Week 3: 35-27 win at New Orleans Saints (3-0)
Week 4: 30-27 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1)
Teams don’t go 3-1 by accident, but it needs to be pointed out that the Raiders’ opponents during their 3-0 start have all underwhelmed this season. If we remove their games against Las Vegas from the equation, the Dolphins, Chargers and Saints are a combined 1-8 this year. Among the 14 teams in the current playoff picture, none has as low a strength of victory as the Raiders’ .083.
This begs the question: are they a paper tiger? So far the evidence is inconclusive, but a second straight game against a playoff-caliber opponent could provide a preliminary answer.
Raiders active roster
Roster up-to-date as of Oct. 8, 5 a.m. ET | *denotes nominal starter
Quarterback (3): Kirk Cousins* (8), Fernando Mendoza (15), Aidan O’Connell (12)
Running back (3): Ashton Jeanty* (2), Mike Washington Jr. (4), Dylan Laube (23 | KR)
Fullback (1): Connor Heyward (34)
Wide receiver (5): Tre Tucker* (1), Jalen Nailor* (9), Cody White (82), Dareke Young (81 | KR), Malik Benson (19 | PR)
Tight end (3): Brock Bowers* (89), Michael Mayer* (87), Ian Thomas (80)
Offensive tackle (4): Kolton Miller* (74 | LT), D.J. Glaze* (71 | RT), Trey Zuhn III (66), Charles Grant (60)
Interior offensive line (5): Spencer Burford* (70 | LG), Tyler Linderbaum* (65 | C), Jackson Powers-Johnson* (58 | RG), Caleb Rogers (76), Bryce Cabeldue (77)
Interior defensive line (6): Tonka Hemingway* (97), Folorunso Fatukasi* (94), Adam Butler (69), Thomas Booker IV (99), Jonah Laulu (96), J.J. Pegues (92)
Defensive edge (4): Maxx Crosby* (98), Kwity Paye* (95), Malcolm Koonce (51), Patrick Johnson (93)
Linebacker (5): Quay Walker* (7), Nakobe Dean* (17), Tommy Eichenberg (44), Cody Lindenberg (55), Segun Olubi (50)
Cornerback (6): Eric Stokes* (5), Hezekiah Masses* (35), Taron Johnson* (3), Darien Porter (26), Jermod McCoy (28), Darrell Luter Jr. (25)
Safety (5): Jeremy Chinn* (11), Treydan Stukes* (31), Isaiah Pola-Mao (20), Dalton Johnson (43), Tristin McCollum (27)
Specialists (3): Matt Gay (14 | K), A.J. Cole III (6 | P/H), Alex Ward (47 | LS)
The Raiders have decided against throwing first overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza into the fire just yet, and instead are rolling with veteran offseason signing Kirk Cousins; the 38-year-old signed what is effectively a one-year, $11.3 million contract in the offseason — serving as a placeholder until Mendoza will take over.
So far, however, that placeholder has done his job well. In his four starts, Cousins has completed 93 of 144 passes (64.6%) for 1,026 yards, a league-best 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has taken just five sacks and ranks 10th among all NFL QBs in EPA per play (0.214).
The story of Cousins’ supporting cast starts at tight end, where Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer are as formidable a 1-2 as any in football. Bowers is ranked first on the team with 25 targets, catching 16 of them for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mayer leads the team with 20 catches of 24 targets, gaining 169 yards and also scoring once.
Also regularly targeted are multi-purpose running back Ashton Jeanty, whose 429 scrimmage yards — 264 on the ground plus 165 through the air — lead the team. At wide receiver, Tre Tucker’s 15 catches for 233 yards and one touchdown lead the way, while third option Cody White tops the Raiders with three scores thus far.
The group is anchored by an offensive line that made free agency pickup Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid center in NFL history this offseason.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage lies the real strength of this team. While the interior is relatively solid, and featuring former Patriot Adam Butler as its third option, the edge is one of the deepest in all of football. It is led by Maxx Crosby, whose offseason drama involving a near-trade to the Baltimore Ravens has seemingly had no effect on his output: his 25 total pressures are ranked fourth in the league through four weeks, while he also registered 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and a recovery.
Crosby is the big name, but Kwity Paye and Malcolm Koonce have also been productive opposite him, picking up nine and 12 pressures, respectively; Koonce also forced a pair of fumbles. Speaking of fumbles, off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean has forced three of them, the most in football so far.
The Raiders also have the league leader in interceptions on their roster, with fifth-round draft pick Hezekiah Masses picking off three passes in four games to start his NFL career. Masses’ play has been one of the big stories for a team whose secondary is quite experienced elsewhere: Eric Stokes, Taron Johnson and Jeremy Chinn are all established players. The only other question mark from that perspective is No. 2 safety Treydan Stukes, who also arrived during this year’s draft.
In the kicking game, the Raiders are relying on experience as well. Kicker Matt Gay and punter A.J. Cole are both in their eighth seasons in the league. Gay has made all 10 of his field goals and all nine of his extra points thus far.
Raiders reserves
Practice squad (17): RB Roman Hemby (37), RB Owen Wright (30), WR Phillip Dorsett II (16), WR Tyler Scott (13), WR Deven Thompkins (83), TE Patrick Gurd (45), TE Chris Myarick (41), OT Niklas Henning (73), OL Evan Neal (72), OL Will Putnam (67), DT Brandon Cleveland (90), DT Tim Keenan III (91), ED Azeez Ojulari (52), ED Cian Slone (48), LB Cameron McGrone (57), CB Greedy Vance Jr. (22), K Kansei Matsuzawa (38 | exempt)
IR (9): RB Chris Collier (33), WR Jack Bech (18), WR Corey Rucker (82), WR Dont’e Thornton (10 | return), TE Carter Runyon (84 | return), OL Justin Pickett (77), ED Keyron Crawford (42), LB Brennan Jackson (54), CB Chigozie Anusiem (29)
The Raiders have some familiar names on their reserve roster, including a pair of former Patriots in Phillip Dorsett and Cameron McGrone on the practice squad. Also there is former seventh-overall draft pick Evan Neal, who provides depth along the interior offensive line.
Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton returned to practice on Wednesday, and could be brought back to the active roster ahead of Sunday’s game.
Raiders coaching staff
Head coach: Klint Kubiak
Coordinators: Andrew Janocko (OC), Rob Leonard (DC), Joe DeCamillis (ST)
The Pete Carroll experiment was a disaster for the Raiders, which is why they decided to hire Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as their new head coach. Kubiak decided to bring Andrew Janocko to him from Seattle and make him a first-time offensive coordinator, and to retain Rob Leonard and promote him from defensive line coach and run game coordinator to defensive coordinator.
Patriots fans might recognize another member of Kubiak’s staff, wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero — yes, the same Alex Guerrero who worked extensively with Tom Brady during his time in New England. Him being with the Raiders is, of course, no surprise considering that Brady is a minority owner of the franchise.
