A trip to the Super Bowl will give a team and its players a whole lot of notoriety. So much so that even fans of the Las Vegas Raiders, who were tuned out of the playoffs and into the draft, became familiar with the team's Week 5 opponent, the New England Patriots, after they won the AFC a season ago.
New England did lose some key pieces in free agency, but they also reloaded with veteran talent this offseason by adding wide receiver A.J. Brown and signing First-Team All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, as well as wideout Romeo Doubs, edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
For the second straight offseason, the Patriots spent a lot of money to improve the roster. Yet Elijah Ponder, who is arguably the most critical piece of their pass rush this season, isn't really a big name that fans think of when New England's defense crosses their mind. But the Raiders can't ignore him.
Surely, after the watching the tape, they aren't.
Raiders must get familiar with Elijah Ponder, the unheralded but perhaps best piece of Patriots' pass rush
During his rookie season last year, Ponder was quietly third on the Patriots in sacks and seventh in pressures despite playing just 210 pass-rush snaps in 2025, the eighth-most on the team. With Harold Landry III and K'Lavon Chaisson out of the picture, it was bound to be Ponder's time to shine.
But his high level of play hasn't exactly helped him gain more notoriety. Instead, the dialogue about the New England pass rush comes back to Jones, their offseason addition, Gabe Jacas, the Round 2 pick in April's draft, or the interior duo of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams.
And to an extent, it is not wrong to talk about these players. But Ponder is now leading New England in sacks, quarterback hits and pressures while playing the most snaps among their defensive linemen. All he needed was an opportunity, and he has answered the call, still without much fanfare.
On the season, Ponder has 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and 13 pressures to go with two fumble recoveries and a touchdown, as well as a team-leading four tackles for loss. A lot of Raider Nation probably hasn't heard of Ponder, and the hope is that they don't find out about him on Sunday.
Why New England's Elijah Ponder could give Las Vegas issues in Week 5
First of all, Ponder moves around a lot. He pretty much plays equal snaps on both sides of the line, which means that the Raiders will need to constantly keep track of where he is and assess in the moment what it means. That is a tall task for an offensive line with so much to worry about already.
Ponder's skill set will also make life difficult for Las Vegas' tackles. He has speed-rush ability, which could be an issue for DJ Glaze and his slow feet (although he's been better this season), and Ponder's growing repertoire, which now includes some speed-to-power, could be trouble for Kolton Miller.
Plus, he has knee-to-the-turf bend around the edge, which is difficult for any blocker to stop, and he does a great job of diagnosing play-action and bootlegs, so he is tough to fool. And the Patriots will occasionally free him up on stunts or picks to make his life even easier.
There is a lot to monitor here, and Ponder has been playing more snaps, which makes him more of an issue.
Can Las Vegas slow him down? Absolutely. Outside of last week's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders have been solid in pass protection, especially at the tackle positions. But last week also exposed ways to beat this Silver and Black front, and Ponder surely took note.
Although he isn't the biggest or most recognizable name on this Patriots defense that is coming to town, he may very well be the one uttered most on the broadcast. Let's hope not, but Ponder will be a challenge for Las Vegas.
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