EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ.—The Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) came to Gotham and tamed the New York Jets (2-6) 38-33. 2026 has been nothing short of an overachieving season.

When I made my final regular-season record prediction, I had the Silver and Black pegged at 3-5.

To say this franchise is ahead of schedule under the leadership of Klint Kubiak would be an understatement.

As I sit here in the press box, a lot from this game is percolating in my head, and like I do each night after the game, I'll offer you my winners and losers beyond the score.

QB Kirk Cousins

Coming into the game, Cousins led the NFL in touchdown passes and ranked third in passing yards.

He was nothing short of sensational today with three more touchdown passes, 247 yards through the air, no interceptions, and, oh, by the way, he ran for another. His QB rating was 141, and he was sensational.

The NFL world so desperately wants to see the No. 1 overall pick that NFL executives ranked as the best QB prospect in the last four drafts, Fernando Mendoza, but Cousins' play won’t allow it.

Kubiak praised his play: “That's who he's been all year. He's been a leader, he's been a playmaker for us, and that's been the story of the season so far. We have a lot of season to go, so we need to clean up the mistakes.”

For Cousins, it wasn’t about his stats; he only wanted to talk about the team snapping a four-game losing skid.

“It’s tough to lose in this league. I think only one other time was I a part of losing four games in a row. It’s hard. It happens, but it’s hard. We’ve played some good football teams, and it took everything we had today. It’s great to get a win, to be .500 in November now and to be playing meaningful football is important. It doesn’t get any easier from here, and we understand the challenge ahead.”

RB Mike Washington Jr.

Every week, the rookie Arkansas Razorback Mike Washington Jr. (MWJ) continues to reward the staff for their trust, and he does more and more.

With Ashton Jeanty and the running game struggling lately, he took the lead and didn’t disappoint.

He ran 25 times for 83 difficult yards and looked comfortable and in command, pounding the ball when there was no way to go. Like Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, famous for creating his own shot, MWJ created something out of nothing when there wasn’t a hole.

Kubiak was happy for him, but he wasn’t satisfied. “I thought Mike did a good job. He ran hard. I think we took a step forward in that aspect of our game, but it's something that's not a finished product.“

Cousins waxed a little more loquacious for his teammate, and his joy for him was tangible.

“He’s from New York, so he had a ton of family here and friends, and I was really happy for him. He did today what he’s shown us in practice and through camp with the way he ran. We’re going to have to lean on him moving forward a lot, and Ashton as well. Mike did a great job for us today.”

RB Dylan Laube

Dylan Laube, the Raiders “Dog,” went wild in front of his family and friends with a kickoff return for a touchdown, an incredible play on a kick out of bounds, a superb special-teams play, and nearly blocking a kick. He may not be that large, but the way he played today makes me wonder if he is the Raiders equivalent of Clark Kent, with a big S under his uniform.

Laube said of his performance, “He’s from New York, so he had a ton of family here and friends, and I was really happy for him. He did today what he’s shown us in practice and through camp with the way he ran. We’re going to have to lean on him moving forward a lot, and Ashton as well. Mike did a great job for us today.”

I asked Kubiak about his special teams weapon, and he was more than willing to praise his performance.

“He's back home, you know, a lot of family here, so it was cool for him to have that moment. Dylan is a stud player for us. He continues to make plays, and as you continue to make plays the expectations continue to rise and he's earned that.”

Cousins was even more verbose. This team loves Laube, and you can count their QB as a fan.

“It’s complementary football. Especially when you go on the road, to be able to have that seven-point gift given to your offense and get the wind at your back makes a big difference. It’s what winning football teams do. There are so many different ways to win in this league. I was really happy for Dylan, like you mentioned, coming back to where he grew up. He had so many people here as well, like Mike, and that had to be a special moment for his family, too.”

TE Brock Bowers

The Georgia Bulldog and the best TE in the NFL had seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He made catches that defied gravity and looked like the superstar that the NFL already knows he is.

Cousins' description of how he played was almost comical, because it sounds so absurd and it is 100% true.

“I think what’s hard is when you play with Pierre Garçon, DeSean Jackson or Justin Jefferson, you’re used to throwing to guys who are really open. There were times, even when they would get doubled and I would progress off of them, and Kevin O’Connell would say to me, ’Still throw it to Justin when he’s covered.' I was like, 'I don’t like throwing to covered guys. I like throwing to open guys.'"

"The coaching point with Brock has been like it was with Justin, where it’s like, when he’s covered, you still need to throw it. That kind of breaks my instincts.”

Cousins continued to explain, “My instincts are to progress and throw to open guys. I think you can see there are moments this year where I can be better, and then there are moments where I’m starting to figure that out. He’s made me right, if you will.”

Even Kubiak, who isn’t usually funny, was in awe. “It surprises me when he doesn't catch it (laughter). That's the truth.”

Final Thoughts

The Raiders are 4-4. The defense struggled, and we will dissect that and dig into it this week before they head to San Francisco this weekend, but for now, we focus on these four winners.

I will get into some tough discussion on the defense with my report card later in the week, but this team, behind the iron jaw of their first-year coach, didn’t quit. That defense is under the microscope for what is sure to be a less-than-stellar prognosis, but one fact stands out: when it had to, it got key stops. No quit. They may not be great, but they got grit.

Al Davis would have been proud of this win, and that is saying a lot.

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