Both teams showed up thin. Las Vegas played without safeties Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson, corner Darrell Luter Jr. and defensive tackle JJ Pegues. Aidan O'Connell was out for personal reasons, so Fernando Mendoza was the only backup quarterback. New Orleans was without Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle, Martin Emerson Jr. at corner, and Christen Miller and John Ridgeway III in the middle of the defensive line. The injuries kept coming once the game started. Travis Etienne Jr. went down with a hamstring and was listed as questionable to return, linebacker Pete Werner was evaluated for a neck injury, and Carl Granderson hurt his ankle before coming back in.
Through 3 quarters, the Saints were getting the better of it. They led 13-6 early and trailed 16-13 at the half. Then they came out and scored 14 in the third quarter to go up 27-22. At that point the home team looked like it had pulled away from the road favorite nobody had expected to be one.
The fourth quarter flipped all of it: Raiders 13, Saints 0. After averaging 9 points a quarter for 45 minutes, New Orleans didn't score again. With Etienne hurt and the Saints already down a starting left tackle, their offense had nothing left for the last stretch. The full box score on Shough's line, what Asim Richards gave up against Maxx Crosby and whether Ashton Jeanty finally broke loose wasn't available for this recap. The scoreboard makes the main point anyway. The preview said the Saints' patched-up offensive line would decide this, and the Saints' offense disappeared in the quarter that mattered.
The Raiders did take a real hit. Rookie receiver Jack Bech broke his forearm and is expected to go on injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport. That's a problem for a passing game that is carrying this team, and it lands on a roster that is already short in the secondary. Giving up 27 points with 2 safeties and a corner out is about what you'd expect. Holding a Shough offense scoreless for a full quarter with that lineup is the result Las Vegas will like most on the tape.
At 3-0, the Raiders have now won on the road in Los Angeles and New Orleans with Cousins playing better each week. The Saints fall to 1-2 after losing a game they led in the fourth, and next week's injury report is going to be long: Banks, Emerson and the interior of the defensive line were already out, and Etienne, Werner and Granderson were all hurt in this one.