The Raiders have spent this season showing how different they look after a busy offseason, and Sunday’s win over the Saints offered another reminder. Las Vegas was pushed early in the second half, but the response told the bigger story. When the game tightened, the Raiders answered.
That was the part head coach Klint Kubiak kept coming back to on Monday.
“I think that the number one thing is you don't really get to find out about somebody until the chips are down and their back's against the wall. So, our backs were against the wall yesterday, down two scores," Kubiak said on Monday.
"So, we found out a lot about guys' resilience and toughness because everything's fine if you're up two scores at the end of the game. But what do you do when you're down two scores?"
Kubiak’s most important move may have come before the comeback push ever started: getting Bowers back into the lineup against New Orleans. With Kansas City waiting next Sunday, the choice carried some risk.
He could have held Bowers out and saved him for the Chiefs. Instead, he put him on the field, and the decision paid off.
Bowers was a major reason the offense found its rhythm. He nearly averaged 12 yards per catch and finished with 116 rushing yards and a critical touchdown. The Saints had a hard time handling him once he was back out there, and the Raiders used that to unlock more of their offense.
That return also let Las Vegas lean into what it does best. With Bowers available, the Raiders ran 12 personnel nearly three times as often in Week 3 as they did in the first two games, when he was sidelined recovering. The offense got moving quickly once Kubiak made Bowers a central part of the plan, especially with Bowers and Mayer on the field together.
The pairing matters because it changes the way defenses have to line up. Bowers and Mayer together give Las Vegas one of the league’s best tight end duos, and that creates problems for opposing game plans before the ball is even snapped. It also helps that the Raiders have other weapons around them and play-calling that can take advantage.
Las Vegas has made it clear all along that it trusts Mayer, and the new contract he received backed that up. His role has already shown why. Kubiak said Mayer keeps reinforcing that belief.
“Yeah, Mike [Mayer] got a new contract because we believe in the type of player that he is, and type of person is, type of leader that he is, and he continues to impress us. That was a huge play he made on the goal line with the ball in his hand on some checkdowns, making plays, and overall, just being a great communicator and a great teammate. That's what we expect from 87."
For the Raiders, Sunday was about more than just getting to 3-0. It was about showing what this version of the team looks like when the game turns ugly - and what it looks like when Bowers is back where he belongs.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Sees One Reason This Raiders Start Feels Different
The early buzz around the Raiders 3-0 start has centered on the wins themselves, but Maxx Crosby says the bigger shift is happening behind the scenes. After years of trying to build something sturdier, he pointed to the way the locker room has come together as a major reason this opening feels different, with the team finding a steadier identity through the first stretch of the season.
For a franchise that has spent plenty of time searching for traction, that kind of internal connection matters as much as any early record. Crosbys read on the room suggests this isnt just about a hot start or a few good breaks, but about a group that is beginning to trust one another in a way that can carry through the grind ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Head Into Week 4 With Two Key Injury Questions
The injury picture around the Raiders has already become a familiar part of the early-season conversation, with Treydan Stukes missing multiple games after a concussion and Jack Bech dealing with a fractured forearm. Even with a few players back in the fold, Las Vegas has been forced to keep adjusting its plans as the season has opened, and the Week 4 build-up has brought another round of uncertainty.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said Bech is expected to be out for a period, while Jackson Powers-Johnsons groin injury is still being evaluated. For a Raiders team trying to settle into a rhythm, the difference between getting key bodies back and waiting on more answers could shape how they approach the next stretch, even before the full injury picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders May Have Unlocked A Brock Bowers Problem Defenses Hate
The Raiders have been leaning into a version of Brock Bowers that looks more like a problem for defensive coordinators than a classic tight end. Instead of lining him up in one spot and asking him to stay in the dirty work, Las Vegas has used him mostly as a receiver, with most of his snaps coming in the slot or out wide while Michael Mayer handles more of the traditional tight end responsibilities.
It already showed up in a big way in Bowers first game, when he turned 10 catches into 116 yards and a touchdown, and the matchup issue is obvious from there. The question now is how long the Raiders can keep using him this way without giving something back elsewhere, because the formation flexibility that makes him so dangerous also raises real stakes for the run game and for how the team eventually values him. [Read more 🡒]