The Raiders are walking into Sunday’s matchup with Buffalo carrying more than a two-game losing streak. They’re also carrying a long list of things that need tightening up, and the next two weeks are going to tell us a lot about where this team really stands.
Las Vegas is in the middle of a brutal run against four of the league’s best teams, and the margin for error is thin. The Raiders can’t afford to spend much time worrying about the Bills themselves. The bigger issue is what shows up in their own building, because the corrections are piling up fast.
One of the clearest places to watch is in the secondary. Defensive backs are supposed to have short memories, and most of them are built that way by the time they reach the league. But young secondaries still go through growing pains, and the Raiders’ group is dealing with them right now.
That’s why the big plays matter so much on Sunday. The question isn’t just whether Las Vegas can limit them. It’s also how that back end responds when one slips through, because this group has been hit with its share of adversity already.
The offensive line is another major piece of the puzzle, especially with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza developing in the background. If the Raiders are serious about protecting that investment, the line can’t become a long-term problem.
Tyler Linderbaum has been exactly what the team expected. DJ Glaze has been the most steady presence on the unit over the past three seasons.
Kolton Miller has played well overall, though some snaps leave enough doubt to raise questions about his future with the team. Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson have done enough to be considered serviceable.
But the bigger point is that this offense doesn’t have a lot of room to breathe. That makes the line even more important, and the results have swung sharply from week to week.
In Week 5, the group didn’t allow a sack with Cousins throwing more than 50 passes. In Week 6, it gave up multiple sacks and even more pressure, and that made it hard for the offense to settle into anything.
That’s why one of the biggest things to watch Sunday is not just how the line performs, but how Cousins handles the pocket. When he moved around in Week 5, especially in the fourth quarter, the offense found a better rhythm.
The same idea showed up in Mendoza’s brief action, too. When the rookie slid and shifted in the pocket, passing lanes opened up.
That matters because the Raiders have to work with the line they have. There are deficiencies there, and a quarterback who can move even a little can make a huge difference.
A quarterback who stays stuck behind an overmatched line is asking for trouble. Las Vegas needs ways to move the ball with extra offensive linemen and tight ends on the field.
On the other side of the ball, the Raiders have a defense built to stop the run, but recent weeks have forced them into uncomfortable territory. Mobile quarterbacks who can also throw have shaped game plans against them, and the secondary has been the most obvious weak spot. Once the back end has given up too many completions, the Raiders have adjusted, and that has opened up running lanes.
The problem hasn’t been limited to the secondary, though. The run defense, usually a strength, has also been shaky. The Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints found success on the ground, and the last two weeks have brought bigger runs and wider holes than Las Vegas has been used to allowing.
Against Buffalo, the challenge is simple enough: make the Bills one-dimensional if possible. If they can’t do that completely, they still have to take away one part of the offense. That’s the line the Raiders have to draw.
The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots were able to run and pass effectively against this defense, and that’s the warning sign heading into Sunday. The past two weeks have already made one thing clear: this Raiders team is being carried by its defense, which only raises the pressure on that group to hold up.
Rob Leonard knows there’s a lot to clean up after five games, and the Raiders’ coaching staff is working through the growing pains of a young roster at some important spots. Leonard put the focus plainly before practice on Thursday: “You got to prioritize.
Let's just fix this. Let's just fix this.
We got to fix - anything else, can't just fix these 10 things. Focus on one thing at a time, and there's a lot.
They did a good job, credit to the Patriots. But we've played good football this year, so we just got to focus on us,”
In Other News...
Raiders Face A Big Fernando Mendoza Question At Wide Receiver
The Raiders have a quarterback picture that already invites questions, with Kirk Cousins in the starting role and rookie Fernando Mendoza viewed as the long-term answer. Even with that transition in mind, the bigger issue around the offense may be the lack of proven wide receiver help, a problem that has left the front office and observers looking for ways to add a legitimate target to the passing game.
One name that has surfaced in the conversation is a receiver who appears to have slipped in Jacksonville, which is exactly the kind of situation that can spark trade speculation this time of year. For Las Vegas, the appeal is obvious: if the Raiders want to make life easier for Cousins now and for Mendoza down the road, they may need to keep pushing on the market for a receiver who can change the shape of the room, even if the cost and fit remain unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Struggles Are Fueling A Quarterback Debate
The Raiders offensive problems have started to reach beyond the usual blame game, with the passing attack and ground game both undercutting any sense of rhythm. Kirk Cousins has had a hard time settling in when defenses turn up the pressure, and the recent stretch has only sharpened the conversation around how the team should handle the quarterback position as it moves forward.
Against that backdrop, Brock Purdy has begun to emerge as a name worth watching for a bigger role if the Raiders decide to change course in the weeks ahead. No official decision has been made, and the team still has time to sort through its options, but the broader issue is clear: the offense has not given the staff much reason to stand pat. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Could Catch Buffalo At The Perfect Time In Week 6
The Bills entered Week 6 with a long injury report, and the Raiders are looking at a matchup that could hinge on who is actually able to suit up. Buffalo listed 15 players, while Las Vegas had 12 of its own, setting up a meeting where health may matter almost as much as form. For a Raiders team trying to find an edge on the road, that is the kind of week that can quietly reshape the game plan before the teams ever kick off.
Wednesday practice only sharpened the uncertainty in Buffalo. DJ Moore and Ed Oliver were the only Bills players who did not participate, and both were already unavailable in the previous game, leaving their status something to monitor closely as the week unfolds. Las Vegas has its own questions, with Tonka Hemingway and Jalen Nailor in concussion protocol and their availability still up in the air, so this one may end up being decided as much by the injury report as by anything that happens on the field. [Read more 🡒]