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The Las Vegas Raiders have completed training camp and will now turn their focus to their three upcoming preseason matchups. With the regular season just weeks away, Las Vegas will soon lace up the cleats and get work in against other teams from around the league ahead of Week 1.
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Losing nearly 30 games in two seasons is confirmation that more than a few things are wrong with a team. The Raiders’ front office made quality moves this offseason. Those moves should help them in major ways and in subtle ways.
Las Vegas has a long way to go. Winning six games this season would be a win for a team that has won seven combined games in the past two seasons. Below are a few small but critical ways the Raiders’ offseason changes will likely help them on the field in 2026.
Turnover Battle/Complementary Football
The Raiders have been one of the worst teams in the National Football League in turnover differential over the past few seasons. Just like the stat itself, the reason Las Vegas has been at the bottom of that list is their own turnovers on offense and their inability to force turnovers on defense.
The chances of either Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza leading the league in interceptions like Geno Smith did last season, and as Jimmy Garoppolo did for much of his lone season in Las Vegas, seem unlikely. That alone should help Las Vegas’ turnover differential.
Time will tell whether the Raiders’ defense will force more turnovers, but if the offense can stop giving the ball to the other team, there will be less pressure on Las Vegas’ defense to do so.
Every defense wants to force turnovers, but when their teammates on offense turn the ball over, that want becomes a dire need. That is the last thing this rebuilding Raiders team needs.
Improved Ground Game Should Keep Raiders’ Defense off Field
Las Vegas has finished among the worst rushing teams in the National Football League each of the past three seasons. They finished last in the league in rushing in two of those seasons. It is literally impossible to be worse than last. Las Vegas will be better at running the ball this season.
This should help Las Vegas’ defense, while improved, stay off the field much more than they did last season. It does not matter how good a defense is if it is on the field for extended periods of time, as Las Vegas’ defense was last season.
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There seems to be a small chance Kubiak does not improve Las Vegas’ ground game at least marginally, if not more. Ashton Jeanty nearly ran for 1,000 yards last season behind arguably the worst offensive line in football and a questionable coaching staff. That will no longer be an issue.
Getting Jeanty going on the ground will shorten the game and help the defense stay fresher longer. Based on training camp, Las Vegas’ coaching staff plans on doing just that. It will be up to the players to make it happen.
Execution Will Be Name of the Game
Two of Las Vegas’ most significant problems over the past two seasons have been a lack of talent and competent coaching. Specifically, the Raiders have failed to find an offensive coordinator or play caller who can produce with the talent they have, however much or little it is.
The Raiders believe they have fixed both of those issues with Kubiak’s hiring and the roster additions they made. In training camp, it was evident that the Raiders now have a coaching staff that can at least put together a logical game plan. Yet, none of that matters without execution.
The Raiders’ offense has been productive in camp, racking up chunk plays against an improved defense. However, Las Vegas’ offense has also left many opportunities on the board to make positive plays in practice, with false starts and plays that need cleaning up.
Under Kubiak’s staff, Las Vegas will not only enter games with a clear, logical game plan, but they will also be prepared to adjust. How well they adjust on game days will be an early test for Kubiak’s staff. At least now, the Raidershave a roster that allows them to actually make legitimate adjustments.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Critical Ways Raiders’ Improvements Will Lead to Better Results.
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This story was originally published August 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.