Raiders cement playoff intentions with win over Saints

An entertaining inter-conference matchup in New Orleans saw the Saints host the Las Vegas Raiders, with both teams entering on the back of exciting and surprising starts to 2026, suffering just a single defeat between them, giving this game higher implications than perhaps would have been expected prior to the season.

The Raiders opened the scoring with a field goal from Matt Gay, but New Orleans quickly responded. Tyler Shough connected with Juwan Johnson for a two-yard touchdown, giving the Saints their first lead of the afternoon and, remarkably, their first lead after an opening quarter in 23 games.

Las Vegas continued to move the ball well, however, and Gay added another field goal before Kirk Cousins’ offense finally found the end zone. The veteran quarterback connected with Michael Mayer for a three-yard touchdown, putting the Raiders back in front.

The Saints answered almost immediately, with Shough finding Noah Fant for a score that levelled the scores as the game began to show promise of being a see-sawing affair for its entirety. Gay’s third field goal then ensured Las Vegas entered halftime with a narrow 16-13 lead after scoring on all four of its first-half possessions.

Whatever Saints head coach Kellen Moore said at halftime clearly worked, as it had done in both games during the prior fortnight.

New Orleans came out of the break flying, forcing a three-and-out before embarking on a 12-play, 87-yard drive. Shough capped it off by finding the reliable Johnson for his second touchdown of the day from short yardage, giving the Saints the lead once again.

Things then went from bad to worse for the Raiders. Rookie Dylan Laube fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, allowing New Orleans to recover deep in Raiders territory. Just one play later, Shough found Fant for a 16-yard touchdown, suddenly putting the Saints ahead 27-16, with all 4 touchdowns coming through tight ends.

Las Vegas desperately needed an answer, and it got one from an unlikely source. Mike Washington Jr. broke loose for a 36-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to five points and giving the Raiders some much-needed life.

The comeback continued early in the fourth quarter. After an inspirational play by Maxx Crosby to recover a fumble, Cousins found Cody White for a four-yard touchdown, putting Las Vegas back in front 28-27 with just over nine minutes remaining.

New Orleans had chances to respond, but the turnovers that had plagued the Saints throughout the game finally proved decisive.

Cousins was sacked and fumbled late in the fourth quarter, but Las Vegas managed to retain possession. The Raiders then put together a crucial drive, with Cousins finding Brock Bowers on his season debut for a four-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 8.

The Saints still had an opportunity to force overtime, but Nakobe Dean delivered the most significant defensive play of the afternoon. Juwan Johnson caught a short pass but was stripped by Dean, with Eric Stokes recovering the fumble to seal the Raiders’ victory.

New Orleans finished with more total yards than Las Vegas, but 4 turnovers ultimately proved impossible to overcome. The Raiders, meanwhile, erased an 11-point second-half deficit to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2021.

Touchdowns
Las Vegas: Mayer, Washington Jr., Tucker, Bowers
New Orleans: Johnson 2, Fant 2

Top Performers
Las Vegas: Cousins, Bowers, Dean, Johnson, Chinn, Masses
New Orleans: Shough, Olave, Johnson, Fant, Young

Injuries
Las Vegas: Bech (forearm)
New Orleans: Etienne Jr. (hamstring)

Crowd: 70,006 at Caesars Superdome