The Las Vegas Raiders' Week 8 matchup was just what they needed after facing four of the league's best teams. It was far from pretty, but the Raiders won a game on Sunday that they likely would have lost last season. Ironically, the win came against the quarterback who helped them land the No. 1 pick.

Sunday was a poetic day in many ways: veteran quarterback Geno Smith showed that his lone season with the Raiders was not all his fault, and that he took more responsibility for the Raiders' 3-14 2025 campaign than he probably should have. That is usually what comes with playing quarterback.

Sunday was a battle between the past and the present, as Smith and Kirk Cousins both had excellent outings. Las Vegas' win over the Jets shed more light on what the Raiders are and what they can be when they play sound football. A win is a win, regardless of who it is against.

Raiders Pull Off The Comeback

After a sluggish first half in which Las Vegas' offense registered 97 total yards and its defense gave up 140 rushing yards, the Raiders turned things around on both sides of the ball in the second half. Las Vegas entered the second half down by nine points, but possessed the ball first.

After four long weeks, the Raiders notched another win to reach .500 for the season. In less than half the season, Las Vegas has surpassed last season's win total. The Raiders used a second half full of complementary football to finally pull away from the Jets in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

Entering Week 8, the Raiders scored a total of three points across their previous four third quarters combined. Against the Jets, the Raiders offense exploded for its best third quarter of the season, scoring more points than in any other third quarter.

Complementary Football

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins led the Raiders downfield on their very first offensive drive after halftime for a score. It was the first time Las Vegas scored on their first offensive drive after halftime. It was far from pretty, but the win confirms that Las Vegas played one of their best games of the season.

The Raiders have plenty to fix, as the first half was another example of Las Vegas getting off to a slow start. However, unlike the past four weeks, the Raiders played well enough in all three phases, albeit at different times in the game, to finally break their losing streak.

Las Vegas' ability to win a game despite things not going their way for much of it. That in itself is progress for Kubiak's young Raiders. The Raiders of the past two or three seasons would have folded in similar situations. They do not have much time to celebrate, with a tough Week 9 slate ahead.

For now, the Raiders will enjoy being back on the winning side. It is a long season, and Las Vegas is still working its way through one of the league's toughest schedules. Still, progress shows in various areas, as the Raiders' .500 record shows.

Las Vegas' win against the Jets was far from their best performance, especially for a defensive backfield that has been the team's biggest weakness for multiple seasons.

However, the Raiders invested heavily in the offense this offseason. Kubiak was hired largely because of his ability to draw up and call high-level offensive plays. Offense has been the missing component over the past four weeks,

Tyler Linderbaum was signed to a record-breaking contract that completely reset the market. The Raiders' front office added Jalen Nailor and Spencer Burford. They recently signed Michael Mayer to a new contract and still have a massive one in line for Brock Bowers.

This was all in addition to using the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback. Offense has been the focus since Pete Carroll was fired. Moving forward, they need the unit to play as it did on Sunday, and not like it did during their losing streak.

Las Vegas invested far more in its offense than in its defense, even with both sides adding impactful players to sizeable contracts. This offseason, the Raiders' front office focused heavily on its offense. Sunday, the offense woke up before it was too late and saved its struggling defense.

Sunday proved that the Raiders can win games when playing complementary football while the game is still within reach.

Sunday proved the Raiders' defense can play horribly—and Las Vegas can win —if their offense shows up before the fourth quarter.

The next step will be to see if the defense can vastly improve and how quickly they can do so.