Las Vegas Raiders 'Contender' Status In Jeopardy With Buffalo Bills Coming To Town

The Las Vegas Raiders' status in the NFL may be in jeopardy after falling back-to-back weeks. 

The Raiders kicked off the 2026-27 season on a surprisingly high note, beating the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints. Since then, the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, with the Buffalo Bills coming up on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Now that the dust has settled, Vegas' hot start, which blossomed into conversations about the Raiders being a contender, has fizzled out. The Dolphins and Chargers are two of the worst teams in the league and the Saints are third in the NFC South. Effectively, the Raiders may have just beaten up on some bad teams. 

With this upcoming game against the Bills on the horizon, debatably the best team in the AFC and NFL, the Raiders' true colors might be on display.

Roundtable's Lucas and Connor open this week's episode of the Raiders' podcast discussing Las Vegas' recent loss to New England. As Lucas puts it, a "come back down to Earth game."

The Patriots put on a show, walking away with a 45-17 win at Gillette Stadium. Our hosts mention that there really wasn't much to be excited about from the Raiders' perspective, as they failed to show up on both sides of the ball. Unlike Week four's loss to Kansas City, which came down to the wire and left fans feeling like Vegas put up a great fight.

One notable takeaway was Raiders' quarterback and No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, Fernando Mendoza, taking the field for the first time in his NFL career.

Mendoza was 6-for-8 passing for 48 yards, so a very small sample size to judge how his career could pan out -- but he did pass the eye test.  

Looking ahead to Week 6, the Raiders are hosting the Bills in a battle of some of the top dogs in the AFC. Entering the game, Buffalo is No. 4 and Vegas is No. 7.

The expectation is that the Bills will win, boasting a better roster all around the field, but Vegas could stun Buffalo if things go in their favor. 

Looking at some storylines, Raiders' tight end Brock Bowers is questionable to play as he's still dealing with a knee injury and was limited in Wednesday's practice. 

Listen to the full episode for Lucas and Connor's full breakdown of Week 5's loss to NE and the preview for Sunday's matchup against the Bills.