Raiders Rally Past Jets 38-33 in Week 8 Shootout as Cousins Ends Las Vegas Skid

The Las Vegas Raiders rallied past the New York Jets 38-33 on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, erasing a pair of nine-point deficits and ending a four-game losing streak behind Kirk Cousins, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score.

Key Points

• The Raiders beat the Jets 38-33 on November 1, 2026, improving to 4-4 and ending a four-game skid; the Jets fell to 2-6 with a third straight loss.
• Kirk Cousins completed 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, and added a one-yard rushing score in the comeback.
• Matt Gay's 53-yard field goal with 27 seconds left made it 38-33, and safety Jeremy Chinn intercepted Geno Smith in the end zone to seal the win.
• The Jets scored on their first six possessions and led 23-14 at halftime, but managed only 10 second-half points as Las Vegas scored 24 after the break.
• Geno Smith, facing his former team, threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, but his final heave was picked off as the Jets' rally fell short.

What Happened

The game was a shootout from the start, and for a long stretch it looked like the Jets would run away with it. New York scored on each of its first six possessions, mixing field goals with touchdowns, and took a 23-14 lead into halftime. The Raiders, meanwhile, kept answering just enough to stay within reach, and the second half belonged to them.

Las Vegas scored 17 of the game's final 20 points. Cousins threw two of his three touchdown passes after halftime, including a two-yard strike to Brock Bowers a little over five minutes into the third quarter, and a two-yard touchdown to Jalen Nailor that gave the Raiders a 35-30 lead with 11:33 left in the fourth quarter. Cousins also scored himself, on a one-yard plunge up the middle with 4:14 left in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 30-28 after Braelon Allen's 21-yard touchdown run had stretched the Jets' lead.

The finish was frantic. Jason Sanders kicked his fourth field goal on fourth-and-10 with 4:31 to play, after Adonai Mitchell's 47-yard grab got the Jets to the Las Vegas 13, making it 35-33. The Jets burned their three timeouts by the 3:26 mark, and the Raiders then drove into field-goal range. Gay cleanly made a 53-yard kick with 27 seconds left for a five-point lead, forcing the Jets to need a touchdown. On the last gasp, Smith launched one for the end zone, and Chinn was right there to pick it off, tapping his toes inbounds to seal a 38-33 win. Moments earlier, Chinn had been flagged for a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on the same drive, only to atone with the game-sealing interception.

Background: Raiders Jets 38-33 and a Skid Snapped

The win mattered for Las Vegas well beyond one Sunday in November. The Raiders had lost four straight games, and the streak had raised hard questions about head coach Klint Kubiak's team and about a defence that has struggled all season. Coming into the game, Las Vegas had lost 12 straight games when trailing at halftime, a run that underlined how rarely this team had found a way back. On Sunday, trailing 23-14 at the break, the Raiders finally did.

Cousins was the steady hand. He finished 19 of 26 for 247 yards, a passer rating of 141.0, and he spread the ball with confidence in the second half. Bowers, the star tight end, caught seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, one of his best performances of the season. Mike Washington Jr. contributed 83 rushing yards on 25 carries, giving the offence balance while the passing game did the damage late.

For the Jets, the numbers told a story of promise wasted. Smith finished 20 of 32 for 290 yards and two touchdowns, Allen ran for a career-high 147 yards on 21 carries, Mitchell caught seven passes for a career-high 142 yards, and Garrett Wilson added six catches for 83 yards. New York gained 439 total yards, including 166 on the ground, and scored on its first six possessions. The only other time since 2000 that the Raiders allowed an opponent to do that, according to reports, was a 52-0 loss to the Rams in Week 13 of the 2014 season. Yet the Jets stalled repeatedly in the red zone, settling for field goals, and that proved fatal.

Raiders Beat Jets: How the Comeback Unfolded

The turning points came in bursts. Dylan Laube returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to put the Raiders ahead 14-13 in the second quarter, a jolt of energy in a game that had been tilting toward New York. The Jets answered, building their nine-point lead on Mitchell's 12-yard catch and Sanders' third field goal, and the halftime scoreboard read 23-14.

From there, the Raiders' offence found a rhythm it had lacked during the losing streak. Bowers' second touchdown early in the third quarter, Cousins' rushing score minutes later, and Nailor's go-ahead grab in the fourth turned a nine-point deficit into a five-point lead. The defence, so often the problem, delivered the final two plays that mattered: forcing the Jets to burn their timeouts, then Chinn's interception in the end zone.

There was also a revenge-game subplot. Smith, the former Raiders quarterback, was slicing up the Las Vegas defence for much of the afternoon despite constant pressure, and he finished with a monster performance against the team that moved on from him. In the end, though, it was Smith's final throw — the desperation heave into the end zone — that decided the game, and it went to Chinn.

Reactions

The reaction among Raiders fans after the win was relief mixed with disbelief. After a four-game losing streak, Kubiak and his crew had, in the words of one report, somewhat righted the ship, and social media lit up with celebrations of a win that had looked unlikely at halftime. Bowers' performance drew particular praise, as did Cousins' composure in the second half.

The defensive picture, however, drew a very different reaction. The Raiders have now become the first NFL team to allow at least 30 points in five consecutive games since the Detroit Lions did it across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, according to the New York Post. That ugly piece of history sits alongside a win, and it explains why even a comeback victory felt like an escape rather than a statement. Las Vegas allowed more than 400 yards again on Sunday, and the defence was, at times, helpless against Smith and the Jets' ground game.

For the Jets, the reaction was frustration at another game slipped away. A team that scored on its first six possessions and led by nine points twice should not lose, and the third straight defeat drops New York to 2-6, deepening the questions around a season that keeps finding new ways to end in disappointment.

Why It Matters

It matters for the Raiders because a losing streak has a way of hardening into a season's story, and this win interrupts that story at 4-4. At .500, Las Vegas still has a season to play for, and the victory gives the team momentum before a Week 9 trip to San Francisco. It also increases the focus on coaching and roster choices ahead of the trade deadline, with the offence showing real upside even as the defence remains a glaring problem.

It matters for the Jets because the pattern is now unmistakable: a talented offence, a quarterback playing well, and a record of 2-6. Three straight losses, each winnable, leave New York chasing a season that is slipping away, and the red-zone failures on Sunday — field goals where touchdowns were needed — are the kind of detail that decides seasons.

It matters for the wider NFL picture because Week 8 has already produced a string of wild finishes, and this game fits the pattern: a comeback, a late field goal, and an interception in the end zone. For American audiences, it was one of the most unexpected shootouts of the season, a game in which the team that scored on its first six possessions still lost.

What Happens Next

The Raiders head to San Francisco in Week 9, carrying the momentum of a comeback win and the knowledge that their offence can erase a halftime deficit. The question is whether the defence can hold up for four quarters, or whether every win will have to be a shootout like this one.

The Jets, meanwhile, must regroup quickly. At 2-6, with a third straight loss behind them, they need to turn red-zone trips into touchdowns and find a way to close games. Smith's performance showed the offence can move the ball against anyone; the next step is finishing drives when the game is on the line.

Both teams will also be watched closely as the November 10 trade deadline approaches, with the Raiders' win keeping their season alive and the Jets' loss raising fresh questions about their direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of Raiders vs Jets on November 1, 2026?

The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New York Jets 38-33 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on November 1, 2026.

How did Kirk Cousins play against the Jets?

Cousins completed 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, with a 141.0 passer rating, and added a one-yard rushing touchdown in the comeback.

How did the Raiders seal the win?

Matt Gay kicked a 53-yard field goal with 27 seconds left to make it 38-33, and Jeremy Chinn intercepted Geno Smith's final pass in the end zone.

What were Geno Smith's stats in the revenge game?

Smith, facing his former team, completed 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception — the game-sealing pick by Chinn.

What are the Raiders' and Jets' records after the game?

The Raiders improved to 4-4, ending a four-game losing streak, while the Jets fell to 2-6 with their third straight loss.

Related coverage: Lions beat Vikings 19-15 to end unbeaten run; Buccaneers beat Falcons 16-0 without completing a single pass; Josh Allen passes Jim Kelly for Bills passing touchdown record.

Sources: Field Level Media, Raiders Wire/USA TODAY, Sports Illustrated and the New York Post, November 1, 2026. The featured image is an illustrative generated scene, not an actual game photograph.