The Las Vegas Raiders finished 3-14 and secured the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but their record belies how competitive they were against the AFC’s top teams. In three games against the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots — who will face off in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday — the Raiders were outscored by a total of just 47-44.
The season began with promise as Geno Smith threw for 362 yards, including eight completions for 103 yards to tight end Brock Bowers before he was injured, leading the Raiders to a 20-13 road win over the Patriots in Week 1. That loss was one of only three New England suffered all season, and it featured perhaps the worst performance of the year by Patriots MVP candidate quarterback Drake Maye. The Raiders sacked Maye four times, intercepted a pass, and held him to 6.2 yards per attempt — a season low.
Against the Broncos, the Raiders were even more competitive in their first meeting. Bo Nix, now injured and out for the AFC title game, posted a 54.2 quarterback rating in a 10-7 Broncos win on Thursday Night Football. The Raiders had a touchdown wiped out by an offensive pass interference call, a blocked punt set up Denver’s go-ahead field goal, and a missed 48-yard field goal in poor conditions could have tied the game late. “When the Raiders stop beating the Raiders, we’ll go out there and we can beat anybody in the league,” Smith said after that loss.
In the rematch at Allegiant Stadium in December, Denver won 24-17, but backup quarterback Kenny Pickett led two late scoring drives after Smith left with an injury. The Raiders also lost close games to other playoff teams: 25-24 to the Bears on a blocked last-second field goal, 23-21 to the Texans in Houston, and 30-29 in overtime to the Jaguars after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Despite the dismal record, the Raiders hope the experience gained from these tight contests will benefit their young players under a new coach and likely a new quarterback in 2026.
