The Raiders came out of last week with more questions than answers, and the defense is carrying the heaviest load of them all. Las Vegas has now given up 30 or more points in six straight games, matching an NFL record, and head coach Klint Kubiak backed defensive coordinator Rob Leonard on Monday despite the results. That leaves the same issue hanging in the air: what, exactly, is going to change?
There was also another ugly offensive performance mixed in, but the bigger long-term takeaway from the week may be what Kirk Cousins left behind. Even in a rough final showing, the veteran quarterback still added value to the roster.
Cousins is down for Week 9, but up for the 2026 season after the Raiders dealt him to the Minnesota Vikings for a third-round pick before Tuesday’s deadline. His last game in Las Vegas was a mess - 216 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions - and he was especially shaky when pressured, completing three of 10 passes for 26 yards and three picks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Still, the trade says plenty about the body of work he put together in Las Vegas. Cousins threw for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine starts, and he spent about six months mentoring rookie Fernando Mendoza.
For a bridge quarterback, that’s about as clean a return as a team can ask for. He also leaves the Raiders with something tangible: a third-round pick and a passing offense that ranked fifth with him steering it.
The defensive side of the report is much less flattering, starting with Eric Stokes. His stock keeps sliding, and the coverage issues are piling up.
PFF says Stokes has allowed a 20-plus-yard catch in five of his last six games, and last Sunday he gave up two receptions for 35 yards while posting a 118.8 passer rating allowed. He also missed a tackle.
Stokes came into the season as the Raiders’ No. 1 cornerback, but he hasn’t played like it. The team signed him to a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason, yet rookie fourth-rounder Jermod McCoy has started to see more snaps over the past two weeks. That makes it fair to wonder whether Stokes’ workload is about to shrink.
The linebackers had their own rough night against San Francisco. Brock Purdy found a soft spot in coverage, going 5-for-5 for 85 yards and a touchdown when targeting Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Tommy Eichenberg, per PFF. Walker was the one who gave up the score, and he finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating allowed on the play.
Leonard has asked Walker to do more than just handle run responsibilities, but that may need to be dialed back if quarterbacks keep picking on him in coverage. The Raiders may also need to lean more heavily on their safeties to help in the short and intermediate passing game.
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Raiders Youth Movement Is Testing One Spot They Can't Afford To Lose
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Even with the growing pains that come with that approach, the coaching staff appears willing to live with some uneven moments if it means the development keeps moving forward. The biggest test is in the defensive backfield, where the Raiders are trying to sort out a group that has shown promise but still has to prove it can hold up when the games get tighter and the margin for error shrinks. [Read more 🡒]