The Raiders’ Week 6 loss to the Bills didn’t erase the frustration of a three-game skid, but it did spotlight the young players who are still carrying real weight for Las Vegas. With the season approaching its midpoint under Klint Kubiak, the Raiders are leaning harder on rookies and second-year pieces, and Sunday offered a clearer look at which of those players are moving in the right direction.
Porter was one of the more stable presences. Since getting back to his spot, he has mostly put together solid work, keeping his mistakes limited and using his speed to erase plays before they turn into bigger gains.
Buffalo completed passes his way, but the Raiders were generally getting what they needed from him. That matters because the coaching staff is counting on him.
If Porter can keep delivering steady, dependable snaps, it gives Las Vegas a better shot at reshaping its defensive backfield over the next couple of offseasons.
Stukes also took a step forward after a rough stretch for the Raiders’ young defensive backs in Weeks 4 and 5. The rookie came into the year with big expectations because of the free safety speed he brought to a spot Las Vegas had been missing.
Against Buffalo, he cleaned up a lot of the mistakes that had piled up in recent weeks. The Bills kept coming after him, but they did not land the kind of explosive hits that had hurt the Raiders before.
Stukes made several plays against one of the league’s best offenses, and the more the coaching staff can speed up his growth, the better off the defense will be. He may be the team’s most dependable rookie.
Jeanty continued to matter, even if not in the way the Raiders probably envisioned. The second-year back made his presence felt in the passing game, which helped get him the ball in space.
He has shown he can still create explosive plays when he’s catching and running, even if he is less effective as a pure runner than he would be at full health. Beyond the injury from preseason, that split between his value as a receiver and as a rusher only adds more questions for the offense as a whole.
Masses also bounced back after two difficult weeks. He looked closer to the player Las Vegas saw during its 3-0 start, and Week 6 reinforced that he can be coached up. There’s still room for him to grow, but opponents are going to keep targeting him, so that approach will matter.
Kubiak addressed that learning curve for young cornerbacks after the game, pointing out how unforgiving the position can be.
“I think the best advice you can give them is that you just keep playing. Especially as a defensive back, you're going to get beat, and when you get beat everybody in the free world is going to know it because it's on TV," Kubiak said the day after the game.
"When a defensive lineman misses his gap, they're going to show the guy that missed the tackle. So, you got to have thick skin, and you got to move on to the next play. Just keep playing, keep competing.”
Up front, the Raiders also made a notable move by starting Rogers at right guard over Jackson Powers-Johnson. The team had been building toward that decision for a while, whether the reason was performance or health. The offseason battle between the two gave both a chance to be ready when the opportunity arrived.
Rogers was adequate against Buffalo, but the game also showed that he still needs more strength and more live reps. Kubiak didn’t sugarcoat it afterward.
"Caleb [Rogers] was prepared. There's some good and bad. I see him as a young player that's continuing to improve,” Kubiak said.
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