Raiders Offensive Line Delivers Best Pass-Protection Performance in More Than a Year

The Las Vegas Raiders have spent much of the season searching for consistency along their offensive line.

But Sunday's 38-33 comeback victory over the New York Jets featured an encouraging development from one of the team's most scrutinized position groups.

According to Raiders Scouting Lab, Las Vegas allowed just six quarterback pressures against New York.

That was the offensive line's lowest total through eight games this season and its best performance in pass protection since Week 4 of the 2025 campaign.

The improvement came at an important time for quarterback Kirk Cousins and an offense that had struggled during a four-game losing streak.

Cousins completed 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Raiders overcome a nine-point second-half deficit.

He was sacked just once.

The performance represented a promising response from a unit that has undergone several personnel changes, particularly at right guard.

Coach Klint Kubiak has spent recent weeks evaluating different combinations in an effort to improve the team's blocking.

Rookie Trey Zuhn III made his first NFL start Sunday after working with the first-team offensive line during the preceding week.

Kubiak had been considering another change at right guard after Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers struggled to establish consistency at the position.

Zuhn's debut coincided with the Raiders' strongest pass-protection performance in more than a year, although the improvement cannot be attributed to one player alone.

Las Vegas also benefited from facing a depleted Jets defensive front.

New York was without several defensive linemen, including Joseph Ossai and T'Vondre Sweat, while rookie pass rusher David Bailey was also unavailable.

The Jets' defensive-line injuries had already emerged as a potential advantage for Las Vegas entering the matchup.

However, the improvement in pass protection did not translate into similar success on the ground.

Las Vegas rushed for just 95 yards on 33 attempts, averaging 2.9 yards per carry.

That disparity underscores how much work remains before the Raiders can consider their offensive-line problems solved.

Still, Cousins capitalized on the improved protection, helping Las Vegas score three second-half touchdowns in a victory that ended its four-game losing streak.

According to the Raiders' official game recap, the offense scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions after halftime.

For an offensive line that has faced persistent questions, allowing only six pressures provides an encouraging benchmark.

The next challenge will be demonstrating that Sunday's improvement was more than a one-game exception.