The Raiders head to New England for their first of two East Coast trips this season, and Sunday in Foxboro comes with a real chance to answer questions after last week’s loss to the Chiefs.
Las Vegas is coming off its first defeat of the season, but it also owns a big road win over Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Now the challenge is different: beat the defending AFC champions on their own turf and show this start is for real in 2026. If that’s going to happen, a few Raiders will have to set the tone.
One player worth watching is White, the former undrafted free agent who was once buried in a crowded pass-catching group at Michigan State and is now carving out his place in the league. He has already flashed this season, especially with the way he attacks the football, and this matchup sets up well for him.
With Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis out of the Patriots cornerback room, White could be in line for a productive day. Expect Kirk Cousins to look his way a handful of times as Las Vegas tries to work around an injured New England secondary.
On the other side of the ball, Stukes has a chance to make his presence felt again after returning last week from a concussion that kept him out against the Saints. He looked all over the field against Kansas City, using his athleticism and coverage ability to close on the football, and he nearly came away with an interception of Patrick Mahomes.
This week brings a different test, but one that fits his game: Drake Maye and the Patriots’ downfield passing attack. Maye is tied for third in the NFL in deep-ball percentage at 15.4%, and defenses have been trying to take that away.
Stukes could be in position to force the Patriots into shorter throws and maybe grab his second interception of the season.
Walker is the third name to keep in mind, and his value comes from how many ways he can impact a game. His versatility should matter here, whether that means rushing the passer, dropping into coverage if Maye’s deep shots aren’t there, or helping clean up against the run with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson carrying the ball. This feels like the kind of matchup where Walker can make a real dent at the second level.
Rob Leonard’s defense will have plenty to sort through against Maye, Josh McDaniels, and the rest of the New England offense, but White, Stukes, and Walker are the Raiders who could swing the day.
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Raiders Have Extra Motivation In New England After Incognito's McDaniels Blast
Richie Incognito added another layer to the Raiders' trip to New England by publicly revisiting Josh McDaniels' brief and rocky run in Las Vegas. On a podcast, Incognito said McDaniels treated players poorly during his time with the team, a reminder of how quickly that tenure unraveled before he was fired on Oct. 31, 2023, after 21 months as head coach.
There are only a handful of players left on the current roster who were around for McDaniels' final season, but the memory of that stretch still lingers in the building. Malcolm Koonce is among the holdovers, and his rise after McDaniels' departure stands as one of the clearer examples of how different things looked once the coaching change was made, which helps explain why this matchup carries a little extra edge for some in the locker room. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face An Early Prove It Spot In New England
The Raiders head to New England in a spot that already feels more revealing than the calendar suggests. Las Vegas has opened 3-1 and still looks like a team with real early-season credibility, even after a loss to the Chiefs, but the trip to Foxborough comes against a Patriots squad riding the momentum of an upset in Buffalo and trying to turn one statement win into something sturdier.
Oddsmakers have made New England a 3.5-point favorite, a sign the market is giving the Patriots more respect than it did before the weekend. From the Raiders' side, the trip raises familiar questions about whether their offense can control games the way a contender needs to, especially against a defense that is being viewed as one of the league's tougher early assignments. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Trade Buzz Puts Raiders At Center Of A Huge Debate
The Cowboys loss to Tampa Bay only turned up the volume on a conversation that has been building around one of the NFLs most disruptive defenders, with Dallas once again short on edge pressure and looking the part of a team that could use help in a hurry. Jerry Jones sounded disappointed afterward, and that frustration has fed the kind of trade chatter that always follows a game like this, especially when a proven pass rusher is sitting on another roster and drawing attention from a team with a glaring need.
For the Raiders, the noise matters because Maxx Crosby is not just a name in speculation, he is the centerpiece of a defense and one of the most recognizable players on the roster. Any idea of moving him would put Las Vegas at the center of a huge debate about where the team is headed and how much it would take to even consider listening, while the talk around Dallas keeps circling the same basic question: how far would the Cowboys go to fix a problem that showed up again on a national stage? [Read more 🡒]