The Las Vegas Raiders are at a crossroads as the Los Angeles Rams come into town for a Week 7 matchup. Klint Kubiak's team has competed in two of their three straight losses, but getting close isn't good enough anymore. Moral victories never counted, but especially not now.
And while the Rams seemed like an insurmountable Goliath coming into the 2026 NFL season, the Raiders should fully understand at this point why David won. And Los Angeles is battered and bruised at this point, so many of the threats to Las Vegas won't actually be in uniform on the field this Sunday.
To put a bow on our previews of this cross-conference matchup, let's zoom out a bit and look at things like how and when to watch this game, the injury reports, big storylines and some predictions from experts around the landscape.
How to watch Raiders vs. Rams in Week 7
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 26
- Time: 2:25 p.m. PT
- TV Network: FOX
- Announcers: Chris Myers (Play-by-play), Jonathan Vilma (Analyst), Megan Olivi (Sideline reporter)
Once again, Las Vegas plays in the late window at home, which will be the story for much of the 2026 campaign. Without the pressure of being one of the "games of the week," though, perhaps the Silver and Black can get back into the win column on Sunday and get above .500 again.
Raiders injury report for Week 7
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Mike Washington Jr. | RB | Foot/back | Questionable |
Quay Walker | LB | Chest | Questionable |
Dont'e Thornton Jr. | WR | Hamstring | OUT (not activated) |
Carter Runyon | TE | Foot | OUT (not activated) |
Brock Bowers | TE | Hamstring/calf | - |
Tonka Hemingway | DT | Concussion | - |
Spencer Burford | LG | Knee | - |
Kolton Miller | LT | Shoulder | - |
Quay Walker's status was changed to questionable on Saturday after he was upgraded to a full participant for Friday's practice. The fact that the Raiders did not elevate Roman Hemby from the practice squad makes me optimistic that Mike Washington Jr. will be active.
Rams injury report for Week 7
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Nate Landman | LB | Concussion | OUT |
Puka Nacua | WR | Calf | Questionable |
Trent McDuffie | CB | Groin | Questionable |
Colby Parkinson | TE | Shoulder | - |
Josh Wallace | CB | Calf | - |
Los Angeles' injury report looks much shorter, but when you factor in key players like Davante Adams, Kobie Turner and Poona Ford, all of whom were placed on injured reserve this week, the Rams' injury attrition is much worse. And it'll be more brutal if they don't have Nacua and/or McDuffie.
Biggest Raiders storylines heading into Week 7
Can Raiders take advantage of a beaten-up Rams team?
Again, this Rams team is banged up beyond belief. But the last time the Raiders played a team that was short-staffed, which was back in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, they got absolutely smoked. So, Klint Kubiak's team needs to stay focused and realize there's still a big job to be done.
And the last time these two teams faced off and Los Angeles was injured, Baker Mayfield came off the couch and beat the Raiders in a primetime game. Simply put, the Silver and Black need to handle business and prove that a skeleton crew cannot hang with them, even if it's the Rams.
Will Las Vegas establish the run against a poor Los Angeles front?
While Los Angeles is down key run defenders like Turner, Ford and Landman, as well as Myles Garrett, who has been on IR for weeks, they were already poor at stopping the run before that. Now, without them, the Raiders have a significant opportunity in front of them to right the ship.
Las Vegas still hasn't figured out its rushing attack in 2026, and Washington Jr. being banged up is not exactly ideal news on that front. But it seems like he could play, and even if he's at less than 100%, it should be a favorable opponent for him, Ashton Jeanty and the gang to get some momentum.
Can Rob Leonard's defense limit explosives and make big plays themselves?
Explosive plays have killed the Raiders' defense in recent weeks, and their lack of takeaways or sacks has been disappointing. Las Vegas' unit has been pretty solid outside of the chunk plays, but it was getting it back by making those sacks and getting takeaways. They've lost that element lately.
Without several of their key offensive players, the Rams' offense should not be explosive, and they should be prone to coughing the ball up. But Rob Leonard's unit needs to go make it happen on Sunday, or this game could be closer than it should be, or go the other way entirely.
Predictions for Raiders vs. Rams in Week 7
ESPN Experts
Dan Graziano - Raiders
Kalyn Kahler - Raiders
Jeremy Fowler - Rams
Pamela Maldonado - Rams
Lindsey Thiry - Rams
Seth Wickersham - Rams
Ben Solak - Rams
Jason Reid - Rams
Matt Bowen - Rams
Mike Clay - Rams
Eric Moody - Rams
NFL Media
Bucky Brooks - Raiders
Tom Grossi - Raiders
Lance Zierlein - Raiders
Nick Shook - Raiders
Colleen Wolfe - Rams
Brooke Cersosimo - Rams
Dan Parr - Rams
Brandon Perna - Rams
Kevin Patra - Rams
Grant Gordon - Rams
Bleacher Report
Brad Gagnon - Raiders
Moe Moton - Raiders
Kristopher Knox - Raiders
Brett Sobleski - Rams
Gary Davenport - Rams
Ian Hanford - Rams
Wes O'Donnell - Rams
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