For the first time in 2026, the New Orleans Saints will play a home game when they host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. New Orleans is 1-1 after their win at the Baltimore Ravens last weekend. The Raiders sit at a surprising 2-0 after wins against the putrid Miami Dolphins and grossly overrated Los Angeles Chargers.
It was expected coming into the year that the Saints would have a greatly improved offense. While that's been true so far, it's mostly because of the success of quarterback Tyler Shough and the receivers with very little contribution from their running game. The Raiders have had some early defensive success after some key additions to the unit this offseason. We'll now take a look at whether New Orleans might be able to finally wake
up their running game this Sunday at home.
Las Vegas Raiders run defense
2025 statistics
- 116.8 yards per game (17th)
- 3.9 per carry (4th)
- 22 touchdowns (30th)
2026 statistics (2 games)
- 100.5 yards per game (15th)
- 4.0 per carry (17th)
- 2 touchdowns (16th)
Maxx Crosby is widely considered one of the league's best pass rushers. However, Crosby is also outstanding against the run and therefore one of the NFL's better all-around defensive players. On the other edge, offseason addition Kwity Paye is also an underrated run defender. Tonka Hemingway, Folorunso Fatukasi, Thomas Booker, Adam Butler, and Jonah Laulu aren't household names up front but have been doing a nice job closing down gaps so far.
Former Panthers nemesis Jeremy Chinn is the Raiders best run defender at safety. Rookie second round choice Treydan Stukes is Chinn's running mate at the position. Stukes is the leading tackler among the defensive backs and has shown a great feel for opposing offenses early on but will miss Sunday's game with a concussion. Raiders corners Eric Stokes and Darien Porter also haven't been shy about getting involved in run support.
Linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean were offseason free agent additions and have made a huge difference in the Raiders defense. Both are extremely athletic and possess good play awareness. Walker leads the Raiders with 16 total tackles, with Dean just behind at 15 stops. Dean and Walker have given this defense a completely new look.
New Orleans Saints rushing attack
2025 statistics
- 94.3 yards per game (28th)
- 3.7 per carry (31st)
- 9 touchdowns (27th)
2026 statistics (2 games)
- 78 yards per game (28th)
- 3.0 yards per carry (30th)
- 2 touchdowns (7th)
Running back Travis Etienne Jr. and left guard David Edwards were free agent priorities with an eye on massive improvements in the running game. So far, New Orleans still has one of the most impotent rushing attacks in the league. Outside of the abysmal yards per carry average, perhaps most telling is the fact that quarterback Tyler Shough is second on the team in rushing with just 31 yards.
Etienne has 71 yards through two games. Kendre Miller had 30 rushing yards in the opener but was a healthy inactive against the Ravens last week. Alvin Kamara returned from injury to have a meager 15 rushing yards and 1.7 per carry against Baltimore. In all, Saints running backs have averaged 3.2 per rush and 61 yards per game.
New Orleans backs aren't the only problem. The offensive line is getting neither the necessary push off the line of scrimmage or opening up lanes for the runners. Making matters worse is that left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (ankle) will be out for several weeks. Banks will be replaced by Asim Richards, but Edwards, center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and right tackle Taliese Fuaga must establish some control of the trenches.
Over the first two weeks, any Saints offensive success has been a result of Shough and his receivers. This is not a sustainable method of success. New Orleans is in the middle of the pack in terms of rushes, so the attempt to establish balance is there. For the Saints to give their passing game some support, and make it even more effective, both the line and running backs need to create even a semblance of a threat.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Anemic Saints run game needs to show some life against Raiders
