The Las Vegas Raiders need a response, and they need it fast.
After back-to-back losses, Klint Kubiak’s team gets one of the toughest tests possible: a visit from the Buffalo Bills, who have looked, for the most part, unbeatable early in the 2026 season and may be the class of the AFC. If Las Vegas can knock off Buffalo, it would do more than end the skid. It would send a clear message that the Raiders can hang with the conference’s best after looking outmatched against the New England Patriots last week.
That kind of result will require help from a few players who may not always dominate the headlines. A few underrated names could wind up shaping the game in a major way.
One of them is Alexander Mattison Washington. With Ashton Jeanty still working back from his injury, the Raiders simply have not moved the ball well on the ground with him in the lineup.
That creates an opening for Washington to take on more work, and he has already shown he can do damage with the ball in his hands. He is averaging five yards per carry this season and has shown the burst to pop a long run when the defense slips.
That kind of big-play juice out of the backfield is exactly what Las Vegas needs right now. The Raiders want to lean on Jeanty, but they should let Washington carry some of the load while Jeanty gets his foot right.
Buffalo’s run defense has been average, so Kubiak should look to establish the ground game with Washington front and center.
Thomas is another player who could surprise people. He is the third tight end, which means he does not usually get featured, but he has still found a role in the offense this season.
Through four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, he has already made some important contributions in early-season success. Kubiak’s design to spring him open on that touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs could be something the Raiders revisit, or they could find another way to get him involved.
Touchdowns can come from unexpected places on Sundays, and Thomas has a chance to be one of those names. The Raiders have shown they want to use all of their tight ends, so he should not be ignored.
On the other side of the ball, the spotlight turns to Stukes. Josh Allen has a habit of putting the football in dangerous spots, and that is exactly the kind of environment where Stukes can make a play.
The Raiders need turnovers if they are going to slow down Buffalo’s offense at all, and Stukes could be a key piece in getting them. Defensive Coordinator Rob Leonard should move him around the field and trust his instincts when Allen starts pushing the ball downfield.
Stukes has already looked like an impressive rookie in the Raiders’ secondary, and Las Vegas will need that to continue in a game that will demand a lot from him. It is a difficult assignment, but one he appears ready to take on.
In Other News...
Raiders Offense Faces Growing Pressure In A Brutal Spot Against Buffalo
The Raiders head into Week 7 with plenty of offensive urgency and not much margin for error, trying to keep a losing streak from stretching to three games against a Buffalo team that rarely hands out easy answers. Las Vegas has been sorting through uneven play and injury concerns while trying to get more out of a group that includes Kirk Cousins, rookie Fernando Mendoza, Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker.
Cousins has taken the bulk of the attention because of how the offense has looked around him, but the bigger issue is getting the whole unit back on schedule before the matchup with the Bills turns into another long afternoon. Jeantys health is part of that picture, along with the need for Bowers and Tucker to be more central to what the Raiders do, and the pressure only grows from there if Las Vegas cannot find a cleaner rhythm soon. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Draws New NFL Punishment After Raiders Loss To Patriots
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Crosbys punishment stood out around the league, too, since it was the biggest individual fine handed out in Week 5. For a Raiders team trying to steady itself after the defeat, it was another reminder that the edge Crosby plays with can come with consequences beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Defense Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against Josh Allen
The Raiders defense spent the early part of the 2026 season looking like one of the better units in the league, but the recent stretch has been a reminder of how quickly the week-to-week grind can change. After giving up high point totals to the Chiefs and Patriots, Las Vegas now turns to Buffalo, where the challenge gets much steeper against one of the NFLs most dangerous offenses.
Josh Allen and Joe Brady bring a different kind of test, the sort that forces a defense to be sharp on every snap and disciplined in every gap. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard is sorting through his options as the Raiders try to steady things again, knowing the Bills can beat teams in a variety of ways and leave little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]