Down by nine at the half in New York, Las Vegas outscored the Jets 24-10 in the second half to win the game, 38-33, breaking a four-game losing streak.
This wasn’t a must-win game, not for a team that is building for a better tomorrow. Still, the Raiders needed to win against the woebegone Jets, a team likely to miss the playoffs for the 16th straight season.
After winning for the first time since late September, another loss would have been bleak, with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos coming next.
The win wasn’t pretty for 4-4 Las Vegas. The defense wasn’t good, allowing 439 yards and far too many deep completions to Geno Smith, who finished 20-of-32 for 290 yards, as the Jets scored on their first six possessions and looked to have the contest in hand.
But then the Raiders’ defense made enough stops, and the team took a 35-30 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Jets mustered a field goal off what looked like a touchdown drive, and the Raiders finished it with an interception by Jeremy Chinn. Still, the Raiders’ offense won this game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes for 247 yards on a 19-of-26 day and ran for a touchdown.
A win like this tells you the Raiders are building something. We know Las Vegas isn’t a great team, and we’re still trying to figure out if they are good. What we know for sure is the ’26 version wouldn’t have won this game if the team played as the Raiders have competed for what feels like forever. This team competes from beginning to end, and their grit proved the difference-maker in New York.
“I see you!” says Maxx. “I’m coming, too!” (photo courtesy of the Raiders)
For Maxx Crosby, this should be encouraging. To be 4-4 in November shows the Raiders are in a better place than they have been in a long time.
But can the Raiders use this as a springboard to a fine finish? It won’t be easy. This defense can’t stop a nosebleed, which means the team is vulnerable against a stronger opponent — and plenty of them remain on the schedule.
The Raiders can’t expect their offense to rescue them every week, and they can’t keep giving opponents so many chances. Someday, the Raiders should be good enough so that an ugly win isn’t held against them. But they aren’t there yet.
I picked them to win six or seven games this season, and to show progress as the year unfolded. Defense is the key to making my prediction come true, and that means extra work and practice time under defensive coordinator Rob Leonard and his staff.
These Raiders still have a chance to be a playoff team (currently in 9th place in the AFC playoff chase). That’s more than enough reason for fans to look to November with anticipation, even as they go into next Sunday’s game as a 9.5-point dog against the 49ers.
Still, at 4-4 and with a playoff spot at stake, that’s not bad at all for a team trying to reverse the past and build something for the future.
