The Raiders may be walking into Week 3 with plenty of confidence, but the real fight in New Orleans is going to happen in the trenches. Las Vegas can win this road game, sure - but only if its offensive line survives a Saints pass rush that already looks nasty through two weeks.
That’s the central issue here. New Orleans has enough pieces on offense to keep the Raiders honest, with Tyler Shough looking like a franchise quarterback and a supporting cast that includes Travis Etienne, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, Devaughn Vele and what’s left of Alvin Kamara. The secondary has its own strengths, but the Saints’ front seven is the part that can tilt this matchup.
For Las Vegas, that’s a problem because Week 2 exposed some cracks in pass protection. Rick Dennison’s group is still in a much better place than it was a year ago, but it took a clear step backward from Week 1 to Week 2. The Raiders’ line wasn’t a total collapse, yet the Chargers made life uncomfortable for Kirk Cousins all afternoon.
Cousins was sacked twice, hit 10 times and pressured on eight other snaps. He managed it well and played a strong game anyway, but he spent the day under constant heat.
What stood out most was that the pressure didn’t come from just one spot. Every Raiders lineman either allowed a sack, gave up at least two pressures or both.
In one sense, that’s a relief for New Orleans, because there’s no obvious weak link to attack. In another, it means Las Vegas can’t just slide help toward one problem area and hope to survive.
And the Saints are coming at quarterbacks from all over the formation.
Chase Young is the biggest name and the biggest headache. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft is finally playing like it, leading New Orleans with nine pressures and 1.5 sacks through two games.
His Week 2 was especially loud: seven pressures against Baltimore. He lines up on the right side of the Saints’ defense, which sets up a direct collision with Kolton Miller at left tackle.
That’s the marquee matchup in this game.
The other edge spot isn’t any more forgiving. Carl Granderson already has a sack and five pressures, and his speed and explosive first step could be a tough ask for DJ Glaze at right tackle, especially given Glaze’s history against that kind of rush style.
The problems don’t stop outside. Vernon Broughton and Nathan Shepherd have combined for 11 pressures and three quarterback hits, and Shepherd also has a half-sack. That matters because the Raiders have had issues inside, with Jackson Powers-Johnson struggling badly in Week 2 and Spencer Burford dealing with problems all season.
There’s also Kaden Elliss, who brings a different kind of stress as a versatile off-ball linebacker capable of working in the box or off the edge. He’s already logged six pressures and four quarterback hits in two games, and the Raiders will need to track him closely. Pete Werner can also get into the backfield from the box, and Cameron Jordan is back in the mix too after returning from injury in Week 2 and posting two pressures.
That depth is what makes New Orleans such a challenge. In two games, the Saints already have six players with at least five pressures, and those wins are coming from the edge, the interior and linebacker spots.
They also have five players with a pass-rush win rate of 11.5% or better. In other words, this isn’t a front you can solve by fixing one matchup.
Brandon Staley’s group has already shown it can get after teams, too, with pressure coming from multiple places against two solid offensive lines in Detroit and Baltimore. That’s exactly why the Raiders’ protection has to be sharp across the board on Sunday.
There’s one more wrinkle in the background: the Raiders’ 63-21 win over the Chargers in 2023 got Staley fired, so he’ll be looking for revenge against Las Vegas in Week 3. If Dennison’s line can stand up to the Saints’ rush, it will go a long way toward deciding the game.
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Kubiak also pointed to the continued development plan for rookie Jermod McCoy and the boost Darien Porter's return can bring to the room, which only adds more layers to a battle that was already worth watching. For a Raiders secondary trying to find stability early, the competition is no longer just about who can make the roster move in the right direction, but who can keep forcing the staff to rethink the order. [Read more 🡒]