The Las Vegas Raiders’ fast start has hit a wall.
After opening the season 3-0, the Raiders have now dropped two straight, and Sunday’s 45-17 loss in New England was the kind of lopsided road result that snapped the mood in a hurry. Las Vegas is still in the early stages of a rebuild and has looked ahead of schedule, but the Patriots made sure that conversation took a back seat for a day.
The biggest issue was the ground game. Teams have been loading up to shut down the Raiders’ run attack, and the Patriots kept that pattern rolling.
Las Vegas managed just 38 rushing yards on 18 carries, a 2.1-yard average per attempt. Ashton Jeanty, who was increasingly limited in practice this week before the game, finished with 27 yards on 10 carries.
Dylan Laube handled the Raiders’ lone rushing touchdown of the afternoon, going for nine yards on four carries. Mike Washington Jr. added one carry for five yards.
The Raiders also put themselves behind the eight-ball with a rough opening stretch that included four penalties for 70 yards in the first quarter. By the end of the day, the frustration was showing, and the offense never found a steady rhythm.
Las Vegas did get another big performance from Brock Bowers, who continues to look like the engine of this passing game. The star tight end caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, once again giving the Raiders a focal point no matter how the defense played him. Jeanty was the next leading receiver with three catches for 50 yards, while Cody White led the wide receivers with two receptions for 44 yards.
Even with Bowers producing, the Raiders couldn’t string together enough to keep pace. They never scored more than seven points in any quarter and were blanked in the second quarter. Kirk Cousins finished 19-of-28 for 243 yards and one touchdown, but the overall offensive output never matched the scoreboard pressure.
The loss also came with another reminder that the Raiders’ early surge has cooled off quickly. After a close defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, a game they had a real chance to win, this one felt far more one-sided and far more damaging. The sense around the team is that reality has started to set back in after that hot 3-0 opening.
There was one notable first for Raider Nation, though. Highly touted rookie Fernando Mendoza saw regular-season action for the first time in his NFL career, entering with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter. The 2026 No. 1 overall NFL Draft choice completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards, giving fans their first look at the young quarterback in game action.
For Las Vegas, Mendoza represents the future. On Sunday in New England, the present looked a lot rougher.
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Before the 2023 draft, there was no clean agreement in the Raiders building on which passer belonged at the top of the board, and the difference mattered for a franchise still searching for long-term stability. Bryce Youngs recent rise has given that debate a new life, while C.J. Strouds 2026 start has only sharpened the discussion around how close Las Vegas came to making a very different call. The frustrating part for McDaniels is that the broader story of his offenses remains murky, especially with the reasons behind the struggles in New England still not fully sorted out. [Read more 🡒]