A lot of emotion will be on display in the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 8 matchup with the New York Jets. Not only do the Silver and Black need to bounce back from four straight losses in an attempt to save their season, but the Jets need to rebound after dropping their last game to the winless Dolphins.
Ashton Jeanty also made this game even more interesting with his comments about the New York run defense earlier this week, so Aaron Glenn's team will have something to prove. And of course, this is Geno Smith's revenge game, but he's not the only former Raider taking on Las Vegas on Sunday.
With so much to keep track of here, we figured it'd be best to call in the help of our good friend Charlie Baduini, the site expert at The Jet Press, FanSided's dedicated New York Jets page, to get even more insight about this Week 8 showdown between two struggling AFC teams.
Preview of Raiders-Jets in Week 8 with The Jet Press' Charlie Baduini
Q: Things reached a low for the Jets last week in their loss to the winless Titans. Has Aaron Glenn's team completely unraveled, or was last week somewhat of an aberration?.
A: Last week's loss was definitely a new low for the fanbase. If there was any support at all remaining in Glenn among the Green & White faithful, it's all but gone now. As for the team, that remains to be seen. The players seem to really still like Glenn and fight hard for him. Despite the recent comments from Jeanty, I haven't noticed any defenders giving up yet, at least not at this point in the season.
Our take: Jets fans may have slightly more patience than Raider Nation, haha. Sounds like last week hasn't changed the vibe too much, and this New York team feels like they can beat or compete with anyone on any given Sunday... or lose to anyone. And you don't know what version of Las Vegas will show up; this game is a complete mystery that I cannot really get a read on.
Q: New York's injury report was quite lengthy, but let's focus on a handful of important names who could miss Sunday: David Bailey and T'Vondre Sweat. What could those two potential losses mean for an underrated Jets defense?
A: Sweat was ruled "week-to-week" on Wednesday by Glenn, which seems to automatically rule him out in Week 8. He's going to be a major loss for a Jets defensive line that is incredibly thin as it is. He's easily the team's best run defender, and it should give the Raiders a solid opportunity to get their run game going. Bailey has yet to participate in practice this week, which is also another major blow. He's clearly trending in the wrong direction ahead of Sunday, and at this point, I would say he's unlikely to play. Even though he's a rookie, he's easily the Jets' best pass rusher, and I fear they're going to struggle to put any sort of pressure whatsoever on Cousins.
Our take: With Sweat out and Bailey doubtful, the Raiders' offense can take somewhat of a deep breath in both facets of moving the ball. While we don't wish injury on anyone, the timing of this is certainly advantageous for Las Vegas. But I will say that Klint Kubiak's team has been destroyed by the last two undermanned teams that they played, so in no way am I calling this one early.
Q: On the other side of things, the Jets could get back both Breece Hall and Dylan Parham this week. What kind of impact would that have on a struggling New York offense?.
A: No disrespect intended to Hall, but having Parham back in the lineup for the Jets is the big one. Jordan Meredith has filled in for the last month, and as Raiders fans are surely well aware, it has not been pretty at LG. Before his injury, Parham was quietly the Jets' best offensive lineman (at least according to Pro Football Focus), and should give a boost to a rather weak pass protection. Hall will be nice to have back too, but the way Braelon Allen has been running the last few weeks, fans are likely hoping to see a 50-50 split in terms of carries.
Our take: It is pretty hilarious that Jets fans want Parham back before Breece Hall, but he was always a solid guard, and Raider Nation is seeing what poor guard play looks like this year. With Allen playing so well, it stands to reason he could play even better with Parham reinstated into the lineup. But Las Vegas' run game issues could be exacerbated even more with all three of them playing.
Q: How has Geno Smith performed this year?.
A: Smith, despite concerns that he was completely and utterly washed, has been good so far in 2026. His only real stinker came in Week 4 against the Bears, but other than that, he has been exactly what fans were hoping when they acquired him in March. Not elite or anything, but he plays well within the structure of the offense, limits turnovers, and throws catchable balls for his receivers. Despite the many offensive problems the Jets have, Geno is not one of them.
Our take: This is also hilarious. The fact that Smith is a game manager and not really taking any chances, to me, means that he has some serious battle fatigue from the results of last season. And that doesn't necessarily scare me too much as it pertains to this Sunday.
Q: Brock Bowers has been the center of attention for opposing defensive coordinators, but Tre Tucker has also been a problem for teams lately. What do you think the Jets' plan is to slow these two down?
A: The Jets are allergic to covering tight ends (see Greg Dulcich's 86 receiving yards last week), and Bowers poses a significant threat. I'd expect Minkah Fitzpatrick will be lined up across from him more often than not. As for Tucker, the Jets' CBs have been relatively solid this year. I'd imagine Brandon Stephens, who is just a step faster than his boundary mate Azareye'h Thomas, will get the nod to keep him in check.
Our take: If Greg Dulcich had 86 receiving yards last week, I am even more excited to see what the tandem of Bowers and Michael Mayer can do. It does sound like the Jets have some guys who can hang with Tucker on the outside, but his conditioning is so good that I wonder if they can keep him in check for the entire matchup. This could be a close one, and Tucker comes alive at the end.
Q: Despite the Raiders' rushing attack being poor, Ashton Jeanty made some interesting comments about the Jets' run defense. Do you think Jeanty is right, and who could he have been talking about?
A: As I mentioned, I haven't really seen any Jets defenders mail it in yet this season. They're still playing hard for Glenn, which is a testament to the embattled head coach. Maybe what Jeanty is seeing is just how bad the Jets have been in run defense this season, considering the fact that they give up 127.7 rushing yards per game (24th-worst in the league). I mean, maybe 37-year-old DeMario Davis looks like he's mailing it in? He's really started to look his age a bit in 2026.
Our take: Well, whatever Jeanty saw on film, let's hope he's right; that was a sizeable and pretty unnecessary check to write for a struggling player in Las Vegas. But if Jeanty does have a great game, it'll be a huge vote of confidence for him personally and for basically a league-worst rushing attack. This is a chance to get it right, so let's hope the Raiders do that.
Q: Kirk Cousins and the offense have really struggled against the blitz and man coverage. Do you foresee this being a big part of the Jets' game plan on Sunday?.
A: Hopefully that's the plan. Glenn has been really inconsistent with his game planning this year. In Week 5 against the Browns, the Jets blitzed and played man coverage an ungodly amount of times, racking up a season-high eight sacks. The following two weeks, against New England and Miami, they backed away from it, and they got gashed. Maybe it's a matchup thing the coaches were seeing on film, but if the Raiders have a clear weakness, I imagine Glenn and DC Brian Duker will go back to it.
Our take: If the Jets' coaching staff watched any film at all, then they'll see that the Raiders struggle against the blitz and man coverage, so I'd expect to see a lot of that on Sunday, if it is already in their bag of tricks.
Q: If you could, name one underrated player (or someone fans aren't talking about enough) on your roster that you think could cause problems for the Raiders on Sunday.
A: I think TE Kenyon Sadiq is ready to make another statement. Things have been really quiet since his 100-yard outing against the Lions in Week 3, but this matchup against the Raiders seems like a great time for OC Frank Reich to really put him to work. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are a good linebacking duo, but I wonder if they can't be picked on in coverage just a little bit.
Our take: Las Vegas has struggled to cover tight ends this season, so Sadiq is a great pick. Quay Walker's coverage deficiencies have been exposed in recent weeks, and the Raiders just don't generally have a lot of answers for the position. So, Sadiq could unfortunately have a career day.
Q: Lastly, what is your final score prediction?.
A: Miraculously, this feels like a Jets win. The Raiders are skidding right now, and the Jets just got punked in their own building by a team that was winless. They've heard the chatter around their coach this week; they've heard Jeanty's comments and are going to take them to heart, and they'll find a way to come out of this with a win that resets the news cycle for another week. I'll go 27-23, Jets.
Our take: I was reminded during my appearance on The Jet Press Podcast just what kindred spirits Raiders and Jets fans are. But this totally feels like a game that the Silver and Black would classically lose. That said, I believe Kubiak's team is different. Raiders win this one 31-28.
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