The Las Vegas Raiders fell 45-17 to the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 11, 2026, and now face the toughest assignment of their season when the Buffalo Bills visit Henderson this weekend. According to Sports Illustrated's weekly report card published on October 13, the defeat exposed problems across the roster, from the offensive line to the defensive secondary.
Sports Illustrated handed the Raiders offense a D+, the defense an F, the coaching staff an F, and the special teams a C-. Only the supporters, graded an A, escaped the wreckage of a loss that dropped Las Vegas to 3-2 on the season.
Offensive Line Failures Sink the Attack
The report placed responsibility for the offensive collapse squarely on the blocking, not on quarterback Kirk Cousins. New England pressured Cousins on nearly 48 percent of his dropbacks, sacked him three times, and forced a turnover. The Patriots held the Raiders to 38 rushing yards at 2.1 yards per carry.
Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty struggled with dropped passes for a second straight week, but head coach Klint Kubiak defended his pass protection when speaking with Sports Illustrated.
Yes, he's always been an excellent pass protector. We count on him on third down, obviously running routes and protecting. And yeah, those are things that are continuing to show up that we have to get fixed as a coaching staff.
Kubiak accepted his own share of the blame for the defeat, the report noted.
I give a lot of credit to New England. They did an excellent job. I just didn't have a good plan for our guys. We didn't execute well. We got behind early, and we weren't able to get the run game going. There's just a lot of reasons that that game didn't work out, and it starts with me.
Cousins acknowledged that a one-dimensional offense handed New England an easier afternoon.
I think anytime you're one-dimensional, it probably does make it a little bit easier on a defense. I think also playing from a lead, they can probably afford to be flexible with what they're doing because they've created a bit of a cushion.
Defense Overrun by Drake Maye and the Patriots
Sports Illustrated graded the defensive performance an F after New England racked up 536 total yards, including 165 on the ground. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for five total touchdowns and faced little resistance through the air.
The report observed that when star edge rusher Maxx Crosby was not double-teamed or triple-teamed, New England linemen simply held him without penalty. Kubiak told Sports Illustrated the staff is working to move Crosby around before the snap.
Yeah, I think those are definitely things as a coaching staff that we're talking about. We got to get him in positions to be successful to get near the quarterback.
Second-year cornerback Darien Porter was a rare bright spot. Kubiak praised his resilience after the young defender lost his starting job earlier in the season and won it back with a competitive showing.
He's a guy that was starting, lost his job for a week, and is so mentally tough that he came back in and played really good football yesterday, and played very competitive. And that's not a surprise. That's the kind of guy that he is.
Special Teams and Coaching Under Scrutiny
The special teams unit drew a C-, with Sports Illustrated noting that two costly errors came from veterans rather than from coordinator Joe DeCamillis. Kicker Matt Gay missed a 49-yard field goal before halftime, and cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. failed to down an AJ Cole punt near the goal line, handing New England prime field position.
The coaching staff, led by first-year head coach Kubiak, received an F after all three lead coaches had poor games on the same day. The report stressed that one bad afternoon does not define a staff that had guided the rebuilding Raiders to a 3-1 start, and it predicted the team would rebound.
What the Bills Game Means for Las Vegas
The 4-1 Bills arrive on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium as many observers' pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. The report described the matchup as the hardest test so far for an overachieving Raiders team in its first season under Kubiak, and it warned that Las Vegas cannot afford another collective off day against a contender of that caliber.
FAQ
What grades did the Raiders receive after the Patriots loss?
Sports Illustrated graded the offense D+, the defense F, the coaching F, and special teams C-. The fans received an A.
Who were the Raiders' best performers against New England?
Maxx Crosby, cornerback Darien Porter, defensive tackle Adam Butler, center Tyler Linderbaum, and tight end Brock Bowers stood out despite the 45-17 defeat.
When do the Raiders play the Buffalo Bills?
The Raiders host the Bills on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.