The Las Vegas Raiders take on a battered but still incredibly tough Los Angeles Rams team in Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season. And while Sean McVay's squad sits at 2-4 through six games, you'd have to be a fool to overlook one of the most talented teams in the league, led by an elite coaching staff.
But when you think of the Rams, which players immediately come to mind? Matthew Stafford, maybe? Puka Nacua and Davante Adams? Perhaps Kyren Williams, Trent McDuffie or Jaylen Watson? Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald, if you remember that they were on the team?
What about defensive back Quentin Lake?
He's certainly down the list when it comes to who the perceived "notable" players are on the team in Los Angeles. But the Raiders cannot lose track of him on Sunday, or else he'll make them pay. And Klint Kubiak has to find a way to keep him off of Las Vegas' elite tight end tandem to have success.
Quentin Lake's versatility is something Raiders must monitor in Week 7
Lake is listed as a safety, but that's a simple way of looking at what he does for Chris Shula's defense. So far this season, he has played 386 defensive snaps, split between several different positions. Here is the breakdown of where he's lined up in 2026.
Position | # Of Snaps |
|---|---|
FS | 150 |
SS | 120 |
Slot/Nickel Corner | 96 |
At LOS | 15 |
Wide Corner | 5 |
Because Lake has so much alignment versatility, Shula and Co. can disguise their looks and keep Kubiak, Kirk Cousins and Tyler Linderbaum guessing. And Lake has success from all of these spots, as he's amassed 42 tackles, a forced fumble, 2 interceptions, 8 batted passes and 3 pressures.
One could also look at Lake's raw numbers on Pro Football Focus and determine that he's a slouch in coverage, or at least boom-or-bust. And in some ways, that is fair, as he's relinquished 23 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns already this year.
More context would tell one that Lake has had two games where he's allowed a lot in coverage, though, and that one big play is responsible for a quarter of that yardage allotment. Overall, quarterbacks have just a 79.3 passer rating when targeting him this season.
And Lake sticks to tight ends like glue.
Quentin Lake's ability to shut down TEs will be pivotal against Las Vegas
It doesn't take a genius to realize that the Raiders' offensive success is predicated on the tight end position. Brock Bowers is the clear-cut centerpiece, but Michael Mayer has also been tremendous. Lake can obviously cover only one player at a time, but his track record is a bit intimidating.
In the first six weeks of the season, he's been tasked with covering players like George Kittle, Isaiah Likely, Dalton Kincaid and Trey McBride. Of course, he isn't shadowing them the entire game, but here are the weekly stats for opposing tight end groups when targeted with Lake in coverage.
1 catch on 3 targets for 5 yards (Lake interception)
2 catches on 5 targets for 10 yards
0 catches on 0 targets
0 catches on 1 target
0 catches on 2 targets
3 catches on 4 targets for 13 yards (Lake interception)
This may not be the largest sample size, but on the 15 plays that he has covered tight ends and been targeted, Lake has given up just six catches for 28 yards and no scores while picking off two passes and breaking up five. That is remarkable.
Against Kittle? An interception and a pass breakup when targeted. Against Likely? He gave up two catches for 10 yards on four targets and broke one up. Against McBride? He relinquished three catches for 13 yards but also picked off a pass.
What will he do against Bowers and Mayer? Who knows.
History would indicate that he'll have success, though, if the Raiders test him. This is not to say that Las Vegas should be scared of Lake or build their game plan around him; the duo of Bowers and Mayer is elite, and they can thrive against anyone.
Cousins, however, needs to know where Lake is at all times and pick his spots wisely.
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