How Raiders Can Avoid Letting Old Mistakes Creep Up Again

It is extremely early, but that will not be an excuse for long. The Las Vegas Raiders must not let mistakes from seasons past undo the progress they made this offseason.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Las Vegas Raiders only got a small sample size from their starters on both sides of the ball in their preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. Las Vegas walked away from the matchup a better team, as the practice gave them their best work on the field this season.

The Raiders had a productive offseason and training camp. Las Vegas' preseason loss to the Cardinals shed light on where the Raiders have improved and areas they must work on over the next few weeks to iron out early-season issues.

New-Look Raiders Must Continue Changing

Las Vegas' front office entered the offseason determined to revamp the roster and coaching staff. Years of subpar results and ranking near the bottom of the league in several regards for yet another season sparked wholesale changes by the Raiders' front office.

Those changes have led to a largely new-look Raiders team, but they will create a natural learning curve that will last well into Klint Kubiak's first regular season with the team. It is early; while they figure things out, there are some things they should begin cleaning up sooner rather than later.

Rebuilding Raiders Cannot Afford To Beat Themselves

The Raiders hired Kubiak for his abilities on the offensive side of the ball. Las Vegas has had more than a few issues over the past few seasons, with offensive play-calling ranking near the top of the list. On Las Vegas' very first drive, some of those play-calling abilities were on display.

As the night went on, many of the same problems that have plagued the Raiders' offense in camp and in past seasons became increasingly apparent. Las Vegas had several penalties that made life harder for them on both sides of the ball against Arizona.

Aug 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) prepares to take the snap behind center Trey Zuhn III (66) and guard Caleb Rogers (76) against the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think the thing that stands out to me, analytically or not, is our penalties. We really hurt ourselves. We put ourselves in some negative situations, and that's not winning football,” Kubiak said Friday morning. 

“Offensively, the fact that we didn't turn the ball over is always good. That's something that didn't stand out last night, but offensively, you can't go into a half of football and not score points. So, we didn't help the defense there. We weren't playing team football in that second half." 

Aug 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Arizona Cardinals guard Chase Bisontis (57) against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Las Vegas' defense has struggled to get off the field on third down for much of the past three seasons. It has been a constant issue for prior Raiders defenses with much less talent than the unit has right now. Several defensive starters did not play against the Cardinals.

The defensive starters who played against Arizona did not play for long. Still, the Raiders are looking to lay a new foundation under a new coaching staff. Every detail will matter, and Las Vegas' defense will only be as good as its depth across the board.

Jun 3, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard speaks during a news conference during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thursday night's loss was meaningless, but it did give Las Vegas a few specific areas to focus on defensively, as it did for the Raiders' offense. Kubiak gave specific examples of what Las Vegas struggled with against the Cardinals that they hope to get correct before Week 1 arrives.

“Third down was not good enough last night in that first half. And when you're not - I thought Arizona did a really good job too of attacking man coverage, and they made some plays on the ball, so the coverage and the pass rush has to work together, and we'll continue to improve it," Kubiak said.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Las Vegas Raiders helmet during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is early, but as the Raiders rebuild, they will need to control as many variables as they can. Other teams will do all they can to beat them; Las Vegas cannot help their opponents' efforts. That was the calling card of most of the teams the Raiders have produced in recent seasons.

Las Vegas' front office and coaching staff will do their part to help turn things around. They must ensure those moves translate into real results on the field as soon as possible. In addition to the improvements and new additions, the Raiders must also get past some old bad habits.