Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Today’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams acceptable for 1:25 p.m. astatine Allegiant Stadium projected arsenic the Las Vegas Raiders’ toughest location crippled of the twelvemonth successful the offseason, with the visitors favored by arsenic galore 9.5 points.
That hasn’t turned retired to beryllium the case.
The Rams person failed to unrecorded up to their presumption arsenic runaway Super Bowl favorites with a 2-4 grounds and last-place lasting successful the NFC West. Injuries person deed them harder than arguably immoderate squad successful the league, with their apical 2 receivers Puka Nacua (questionable contiguous with a calf strain) and Davante Adams (out with a hamstring tear) the latest to spell down.
The Raiders present person a existent accidental to drawback a three-game losing streak and get backmost implicit .500 connected the twelvemonth successful their 2nd consecutive location game. They’ve gotten arsenic abbreviated arsenic a 2.5-point underdog this week up of the crippled that volition aerial connected Fox 5 and broadcast connected Raider Nation Radio 920 AM.
In a wrinkle fewer saw coming, the Raiders mightiness person the borderline astatine backmost — astatine slightest solely based connected this season. Coach Klint Kubiak praised seasoned starter Kirk Cousins arsenic having played “superb football,” and that checks retired by the numbers.
He’s thrown for 1,582 yards and 14 touchdowns to 5 interceptions with an mean of 7.4 yards per walk attempt. Rams backmost Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, has not maintained the gait of past year’s MVP season, having thrown for 1,704 yards and 11 touchdowns to six interceptions with 7.2 yards per walk attempt.
Favorable matchup: Raiders’ peculiar teams vs. Rams’ peculiar teams
The biggest origin successful the Rams missing the Super Bowl past twelvemonth with a three-point nonaccomplishment successful the NFC Championship Game mightiness person been fielding 1 of the league’s worst special-teams units. Los Angeles mislaid 3 games with precocious peculiar teams blunders, including a regular-season showdown with eventual champion Seattle that determined homefield advantage. Rams manager Sean McVay vowed to hole the occupation this play and it’s gotten … worse. Los Angeles’ peculiar teams fertile dormant past successful the NFL by DVOA. Headlining the troubles is the kicking game, with the Rams present connected their 3rd kicker successful 3 weeks against the Raiders. They chopped Harrison Mevis aft helium missed 2 tract goals, including a would-be overtime crippled victor successful a 37-34 nonaccomplishment to the Buffalo Bills 2 weeks ago. Replacement Blake Grupe past tore his ACL trying to marque a tackle successful the archetypal fractional of past week’s 18-16 nonaccomplishment to the Arizona Cardinals. They present crook to 35-year-old Brandon McManus, who was chopped by the Green Bay Packers earlier grooming camp. The Raiders are astir league mean successful peculiar teams, No. 16 successful DVOA, with kicker Matt Gay having converted connected 14 of 15 tract extremity attempts this season.
Problematic matchup: Raiders’ choky extremity reliance vs. Rams’ choky extremity mastery
McVay is wide considered the originator of the caller NFL inclination of teams employing much sets with aggregate choky ends connected the field, but nary 1 has followed his pb much thoroughly than Kubiak. Las Vegas leads the league successful snaps with astatine slightest 2 choky ends connected the field, utilizing specified packages connected 66% plays according to Sharp Football Analysis. Problem is, McVay doesn’t lone cognize however to spark choky ends offensively, but besides seemingly knows however to dilatory them defensively. The Rams are archetypal successful the NFL successful DVOA successful defending choky ends aft finishing 3rd a twelvemonth ago. If there’s ever a squad that tin unit idiosyncratic different than Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer — the Raiders’ co-leaders with 28 receptions connected the twelvemonth — to bushed them, it would look to beryllium the Rams. Wide receiver Tre Tucker and moving backmost Ashton Jeanty are the lone 2 different players that person been consistently productive successful the Raiders’ walk game. Tucker has 24 catches for 371 yards and 3 touchdowns portion Jeanty has 26 catches for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. Someone other whitethorn request to look against the Rams, who inactive usage choky ends plentifulness successful their ain right. McVay has shifted distant from 2 tight-end sets but uses 3 choky ends connected a league-leading 31% of plays. The Raiders are 21st in the league against choky ends per DVOA.
“They’re astir apt the champion discourtesy successful the NFL and precise well-coached. They utilize their choky ends, a precise awesome group.” -Kubiak with precocious praise for the Rams, whom helium battled 3 times past twelvemonth arsenic violative coordinator with the Seahawks
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“He was 1 of my favourite players increasing up so, immoderate clip I get to spot him, it’s (great). I decidedly person astir apt watched him much than anybody successful the league. He’s conscionable 1 of those guys that’s highly special, a large quarterback. He tin marque each the throws and he’s a competitor.” - Maxx Crosby connected Stafford, whom the Raiders borderline rusher rooted for arsenic a kid erstwhile the backmost played for his home-state Detroit Lions
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“Every year, I acceptable my idiosyncratic goals and immoderate that whitethorn look similar but, for me, I person to beryllium an urgent idiosyncratic whether it’s a declaration twelvemonth oregon not. Each and each year, it’s, ‘What tin I get amended at? How tin I execute better?’ That’s my mindset.” -Tucker connected if a declaration twelvemonth is spurring the mode he’s taken implicit the Raiders’ No. 1 receiver relation and flashed similar successful past week’s 97-yard, two-touchdown show against the Bills
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“I decidedly consciousness similar I tin play … I’m embracing immoderate facet this squad needs maine to play. So whether that’s outside, I'll play outside. If it’s inside, I’ll bash that. Blocking, passing, immoderate it is they request maine to do, I’ll do.” -Second-year receiver Dont’e Thornton connected his expectations going into the last week the Raiders tin activate him from injured reserve. He indispensable either beryllium activated oregon ruled retired for the play earlier signifier begins adjacent week.
Gamebreaker: Cornerback Darien Porter
Kubiak has uncharacteristically gushed astir his restitution with however Cousins has played, but the backmost is stil sitting a distant 2nd successful presumption of players who person garnered the astir praise this week. The manager has gone retired of his mode to commend the second-year cornerback retired of Iowa State connected aggregate occasions. Mainly, Kubiak has raved astir Porter’s resoluteness and attitude. Porter won a starting occupation retired of grooming campy but injured his ft successful a Week 1 triumph against the Miami Dolphins, missing a Week 2 triumph against the Los Angeles Chargers. Replacement rookie Hezekiah Masses had 2 interceptions successful his spot and took implicit the role. But Kubiak said Porter’s enactment ethic and temperament remained unchanged, which made the manager assured to crook backmost to him arsenic a starter the past 2 weeks. Porter hasn’t been cleanable successful losses to the Patriots and Bills, but he’s been solid. The coaching unit believes he’s a surer enactment than Masses, truthful the starting relation other Eric Stokes is erstwhile again Porter’s for now. This could beryllium a crippled successful which helium threatens for his archetypal vocation interception, considering Stafford, contempt each his accolades, is typically among the league leaders successful turnover-worthy throws. And opponents person often tailored their crippled plans to people Porter oregon Masses implicit different members of the Raiders’ secondary.
Big Number: 0
The Raiders person scored 162 points implicit the archetypal six games of the season. The Raiders person fixed up 162 points implicit the archetypal six games of the season. That of people leaves their constituent differential astatine zero, implying they are a dead-average NFL team. That mightiness beryllium disappointing to fans who dreamed of thing bigger aft Las Vegas started 3-0, but that’s not however the scoring borderline should beryllium perceived. It should beryllium seen arsenic a measurement of the advancement made nether Kubiak. The Raiders lone had 1 less triumph astatine this clip a twelvemonth agone but had 1 of the league-worst marks with a -46 constituent differential. Scoring borderline is much predictive than grounds going forward, and Week 7 past twelvemonth brought the commencement of a 10-game losing streak with a 31-0 blowout nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs. There are nary signs that the Raiders volition autumn into that large of a swoon this season. They’ve played good truthful far, but are inactive outgunned by the league’s apical franchises. But this play was ever astir cutting into that spread and mounting a instauration for aboriginal success. The neutral constituent differential shows that nonsubjective is succeeding.
Best Bet (4-2): Kirk Cousins implicit 33.5 walk attempts
The Raiders tin decidedly bushed the Rams, but they astir apt aren’t going to tally distant from the Rams. It would necessitate an all-out, four-quarter effort with an assertive approach, not a crippled successful which they get a pb and beryllium connected it portion trying to drain the timepiece with the tally crippled late. And, successful the possibly likelier script that they’re down, the Raiders volition request to propulsion liberally to play catch-up. Kubiak has nary occupation putting the crippled successful Cousins’ hands. He mightiness beryllium forced to bash that adjacent much than mean this week, with possibly the biggest anticipation successful turning astir the Raiders’ unreserved game, rookie moving backmost Mike Washington, nursing ft and backmost injuries. Las Vegas’ tally play percent has dropped to 40.67%, 21st successful the NFL, during this losing streak wherever it’s fallen down and gotten adjacent to thing retired of Jeanty. That fig volition ascent backmost up eventually, but not this week.
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