Sunday will be the 2026 home opener for the New Orleans Saints when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders in the Superdome. A 1-1 Saints squad is looking for a second straight win after last Sunday's road victory at the Baltimore Ravens. The 2-0 Raiders come in with a home victory over the Miami Dolphins and road win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
New Orleans has had one of the league's better passing attacks over the first two weeks. Quarterback Tyler Shough along with wideouts Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele and tight end Juwan Johnson have been extremely impressive. They'll try to keep that momentum against a faster and much-improved Raiders defense from recent seasons. It's this area where we focus today's Week 3 analysis.
Las Vegas Raiders pass defense
2025 statistics
- 201 yards per game (14th)
- 68.5% completion percentage
- 23 touchdowns (10th)
- 8 interceptions (25th)
- 36 sacks
- 82 QB hits
2026 statistics
(2 games)
- 184 yards per game (10th)
- 55.6% completion percentage
- 1 touchdown (2nd)
- 3 interceptions (2nd)
- 8 sacks
- 20 QB hits
An offseason deal would fall through that had the Raiders trading edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders are likely thankful, since Crosby still looks every bit like one of the NFL's best pass rushers. He has 1.5 sacks and 10 pressures through two games after 10 sacks and 29 pressures in 2025, the only Raider to have more than 4.5 takedowns a year ago.
Underrated Kwity Paye was brought in during free agency to upgrade the Vegas pass rush. It's been a successful transaction thus far, with Paye recording 2 sacks and 5 QB hits. Malcolm Koonce (1.5 sacks) has provided quality depth along the edge behind the Crosby-Paye tandem. Up to this point, the Raiders have gotten little pressure from their interior down linemen.
Linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean were offseason free agent signings and have greatly upgraded the defense's athleticism. Dean is good in coverage but has proven to be a highly disruptive blitzer and has 1.5 sacks with 4 pressures. Walker has been used more in coverage responsibilities. Both have outstanding open field agility with either able to cover most tight ends or backs.
Corners Darien Porter, veteran Eric Stokes, and nickelback Taron Johnson have made a good trio, with Porter allowing only one completion on six targets against him. One of the early season surpises has been rookie fifth round cornerback Hezekiah Masses, who leads the team with 2 interceptions and 3 pass breakups while allowing only 2 completions. Safety is where the Raiders could be vulnerable. Impressive rookie Treydan Stukes will miss this game with a concussion. Jeremy Chinn is a savvy veteran, but has limited range in deep support.
New Orleans Saints passing attack
2025 statistics
- 219.3 yards per game (13th)
- 67.2% completion percentage
- 19 touchdowns (26th)
- 12 interceptions (17th)
- 49 sacks
2026 statistics (2 games)
- 305.5 yards per game (2nd)
- 68.9% completion percentage
- 4 touchdowns (9th)
- 2 interceptions (24th)
- 8 sacks
Shough leads the NFL in passing yards/game through two weeks and shows no signs of slowing down. He has good mobility, excellent arm strength, very good accuracy, and incredible poise in all situations. Shough is quite clearly the leader of this team and has checked off all the boxes of developing into a franchise quarterback.
Running backs Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara haven't been a huge part of the passing game so far. However, each are capable receivers who present a matchup problem for the defense. Etienne and Kamara have combined for 14 receptions, but only 45 yards receiving. Look for Shough and Kellen Moore to get both backs more involved as pass catchers in an effort to get them in open space more often.
Shough has outstanding chemistry with tight end Juwan Johnson. That was clear last season and has very much carried over into 2026. Johnson has 7 receptions on 11 targets for 120 yards. While not spectacular numbers, he's come up big in huge moments as one of Shough's most trusted targets. The converted wideout is able to make plays down the field but is equally dangerous as a runner after short catches. The Saints have a trio of talented tight ends, with veteran Noah Fant making some key plays against the Lions and rookie Oscar Delp getting more reps with each week.
Even with rookie first round choice Jordyn Tyson on injured reserve, Saints wideouts have been crucial to the attack. Chris Olave is moving into the league's elite tier of receivers and has 18 receptions for 268 yards in the first two weeks. Olave is Shough's most trusted target and continues to be highly productive in spite of heavy defensive attention. Wideout Devaughn Vele is another security blanket for Shough and has quietly been extremely effective. Vele has caught 12 of his 16 targets for 133 yards, with many of those acrobatic receptions or crucial catches in heavy traffic. Rookie fourth round pick Bryce Lance has 4 catches for 50 yards, but the team is showing more trust in him weekly. The Saints will be without rookie sixth round pick Barion Brown (hamstring), meaning veteran Kevin Austin Jr. will get more snaps while the Saints also need to find Brown's fill-in at kickoff and punt returner.
A complete absence of a rushing attack has allowed New Orleans opponents to blitz Shough much more often. The Saints also need to do a better job of protection. Making matters worse is the Saints are now without Kelvin Banks Jr (ankle) at left tackle. Asim Richards will replace Banks, as he and right tackle Taliese Fuaga face the critical assignment of blocking Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye. Guards David Edwards and Cesar Ruiz could help with double teams, but they and center Erik McCoy will need to block against Nakobe Dean blitzes and the inside rush. Look for the Saints to use a back or an extra tight end on especially Crosby on the outside.
Even as well as the Raiders corners are playing, Saints wideouts look to have the advantage in this matchup. New Orleans could also use Etienne or Kamara in motion or on the outside to try and lure Dean or Quay Walker into coverage, with the other linebacker likely responsible for Johnson. Shough has the confidence to get the ball accurately to Olave, Johnson, or Vele in any situation or coverage. However, Saints blocking must keep Shough upright and unhurried long enough for routes to develop.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Big-play Saints passing attack holds the key to Week 3 against Raiders
