Raiders response to first loss tested against Patriots

Cousins gets a wounded secondary

Cousins has been one of the NFL’s early surprises, throwing for 1,026 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. His 11 touchdown passes are the fastest he has reached that total through four games in his 15-year career.

New England will try to slow him without much of its usual cornerback depth. Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Channing Canada and Karon Prunty are out, while Charles Woods enters Sunday questionable.

Las Vegas has its own receiving concerns. Jalen Nailor is out with a concussion, Jack Bech remains on injured reserve and Dont’e Thornton Jr. will not be activated.

That leaves more responsibility for Tre Tucker, Cody White and Malik Benson while Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer remain central to the passing game.

Cousins said the Raiders’ opening month has reinforced what he saw from the roster during the offseason.

“These guys, they want to do it the right way,” Cousins said. “Football means something to them.”

His next sentence carried the more important message heading into New England: “You’ve got to go prove it again every week.”

Special teams gets no free pass

Few areas received more attention this week than special teams.

Dareke Young’s kickoff fumble against Kansas City led to a touchdown on the next play, but special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis refused to place the breakdown solely on Young. He said the Raiders allowed too many defenders to reach the returner cleanly.

“In my opinion, that’s more of a team look, not Dariq’s look,” DeCamillis said.

DeCamillis also took responsibility for another special-teams mistake against Kansas City, saying he “got way too greedy” with a failed punt look. That accountability matters against a Mike Vrabel team that Kubiak and DeCamillis both expect to challenge Las Vegas physically in every phase.

The Raiders still have a dangerous return option in Dylan Laube, who enters Sunday averaging an NFL-best 33.4 yards per kickoff return.

Maye offers opportunity and danger

The other major matchup centers on Drake Maye against a Raiders defense that has lived off takeaways.

Las Vegas leads the NFL with nine through four games. Maye has already thrown seven interceptions, one fewer than he threw during all of last regular season.

Still, the Raiders cannot treat him like a quarterback waiting to make a mistake. Maye threw three touchdown passes in New England’s win at Buffalo, and Kubiak highlighted his mobility and ability to attack defenses downfield.

The red zone could decide how much those turnovers matter. Las Vegas has allowed touchdowns on 10 of 13 opponent trips inside the 20, while New England has converted only four of nine red-zone possessions into touchdowns.

Sunday is no longer about proving the Raiders’ 3-0 start was real. They did plenty of that while taking Kansas City to the final seconds.

Now they have to show what happens after the first punch lands.

Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.