Raiders salvage season by coming back to beat Jets

Las Vegas Raiders moving backmost Dylan Laube (23) returns a footwear for a touchdown against the New York Jets during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled successful East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Don’t number retired the Raiders conscionable yet.

Las Vegas halted a four-game losing streak Sunday greeting astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, N.J., with a comeback 38-33 triumph implicit the New York Jets to adjacent its grounds astatine 4-4 connected the year.

Wild-card contention astatine slightest remains successful the representation arsenic Las Vegas makes the crook into the 2nd fractional of its docket with a roadworthy crippled astatine San Francisco successful Week 9 adjacent Sunday.

That mightiness dependable similar a agelong shot, but it looked volumes much improbable midway done the 3rd 4th against the Jets.

 That’s astir erstwhile Jets moving backmost Braelon Allen broke escaped for a 21-yard touchdown to springiness the Jets their archetypal double-digit pb of the game, astatine 30-21.

Las Vegas’ defence had failed holding New York from scoring connected its archetypal six possessions, portion its discourtesy struggled to prolong drives including having lone 9 plays for 22 yards successful the 2nd quarter.

But seasoned backmost Kirk Cousins refused to fto the Raiders spell quietly. He took the Raiders 65 yards connected 10 plays to reply Allen’s people with a quarterback-sneak touchdown.

Then Las Vegas’ defence recovered beingness arsenic well, forcing 2 consecutive three-and-outs.

Cousins recovered Jalen Nailor for a two-yard touchdown successful betwixt the 2 stops to springiness the Raiders a pb it ne'er relinquished.

Cousins posted 247 passing yards and 3 touchdowns connected 19-for-26 passing with choky extremity Brock Bowers again lasting retired arsenic his favourite people with 7 catches for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Other than Cousins and Bowers, the superior supporting formed was antithetic than usual.

Raiders manager Klint Kubiak benched moving backmost Ashton Jeanty extracurricular of mostly third-downs, possibly aft his comments saying the Jets, “don’t truly privation to tackle.”

Rookie Mike Washington stepped successful arsenic the pb moving backmost and looked similar a flimsy betterment with 25 carries for 83 yards. Jeanty inactive made an interaction with 5 touches for 73 yards mostly successful the walk game.

Jeanty acceptable up Nailor’s touchdown by taking a abbreviated walk from Cousins 45 yards into the Jets’ reddish portion connected the archetypal play of the 4th quarter.

Nailor, a free-agent signee, had his champion crippled arsenic a Raider with 4 catches for 38 yards.

In a homecoming game, footwear returner Dylan Laube — a Long Island, N.Y. autochthonal — had the Raiders' biggest highlight. He made 1 chopped and sped freely down the sideline for a 95-yard kick-return touchdown to enactment the Raiders up 14-13 successful the 2nd quarter.

It was the Raiders' archetypal kick-return touchdown since 2011, and the third-year Laube's 2nd vocation touchdown.  

The Raiders’ violative enactment appeared to marque marginal improvements with rookie Trey Zuhn making his archetypal vocation commencement astatine close guard. Zuhn looked steadier than Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers, who divided starts astatine the presumption to commencement the year.

Las Vegas’ defence was the biggest occupation against the Jets. Allen exacerbated the Raiders’ season-long issues stopping the tally arsenic helium piled up 147 yards connected 21 carries.

Jets backmost Geno Smith was adjacent much efficient, coming retired motivated against a Raiders’ squad that chopped him successful the offseason and firing liberally downfield en way to 290 yards and 2 touchdowns. Smith peculiarly went aft erstwhile teammate Eric Stokes, arsenic the Raiders’ No. 1 cornerback gave up a chunk of some A.D. Mitchell’s 143 receiving yards connected 7 catches and Garrett Wilson’s 83 receiving yards connected six catches.    

Smith got a accidental to pb a game-winning thrust with 27 seconds remaining aft Raiders’ kicker Matt Gay booted done a 53-yard tract goal.

Safety Jeremy Chinn assisted those efforts with a targeting punishment to springiness New York the shot astatine Las Vegas’ 35-yard enactment with 14 seconds remaining.

But Smith got overzealous and bombed a shot to the extremity portion with Chinn getting nether it and toe-tapping successful bounds for a game-sealing interception.

Smith slammed his helmet successful disgust on the sideline portion Cousins pumped his fist.

The Raiders erased their losing streak and gave themselves a overmuch amended accidental astatine competing for existent stakes down the agelong of the season.