The Las Vegas Raiders have barely had time to settle into 2026, and already the early returns are hard to ignore.
After a three-win 2025 season that ended with the first overall pick, the franchise went searching for answers and made sweeping changes. Pete Carroll was replaced by another Seattle Seahawks coach in then-offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the first pick became Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, and general manager John Spytek attacked free agency in Year Two with an aggressive approach that brought in several notable additions.
Two weeks into the season, that reset is looking a lot more promising.
The Raiders opened with double-digit wins over the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers, a start that has pushed expectations up fast in Las Vegas. The defense has been energized by newcomers like linebacker Nakobe Dean and edge rusher Kwity Paye, while Kirk Cousins has given the offense a steady veteran hand at quarterback and allowed Mendoza time to develop the right way.
That’s the kind of start that gets attention around the league, but inside the building, the message has stayed remarkably steady.
The tone from Kubiak hasn’t changed, and neither has the room.
“I see the same guys in April,” said Kubiak when asked about if there has been any difference in the locker room between the beginning of the offseason program to now.
“We other together April…7th or April 4th. A very eager group to get better, so they’ve kept that same mindset. A lot of credit to our players.”
That line fits right in with how Kubiak has framed the season from the jump. He’s described it as “17 one-game seasons,” and the Raiders have taken that approach into the first stretch of the year without getting carried away by the record.
Wednesday’s practice, by all accounts, looked like another businesslike day. Even after cornerback Hezekiah Masses earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in his first career start, the focus remained on the team rather than the individual moment.
That mindset matters now more than ever, because Sunday brings the Raiders’ first true road game of the season, against the New Orleans Saints. A win would move Las Vegas to last season’s win total before September is even over.
For Cousins, the key is keeping the weekly routine from getting bent out of shape by whatever happened the week before.
“I just think it’s important that we come back in every day, every week, regardless of the outcome, win, loss, tie, the same person,” said Cousins as far as what he’s noticed as one of the locker room leaders on the Raiders.
“I think you just have to have your process, your way of getting ready for Sunday. That’s got to be consistent.
You got to trust that routine, that rhythm, and not allow an outcome from a day before to suddenly change that. I think, if you do that, you’re grasping at the wind, so that’s kind of the approach I’ve taken is I have a process.
I’m going to execute that throughout the week and not be looking backwards, but be looking forward.”
The Raiders have done all of this without Brock Bowers, who has missed the first two games while recovering from a meniscus trim. His return would add another layer to an offense that has already shown signs of life, especially after Cousins found connections with Tre Tucker and Cody White against the Chargers.
Bowers changes the equation because defenses have to account for him immediately. Whether he’s creating separation for himself or opening things up for others, his presence should give the offense another dimension.
Cousins said that chemistry with Bowers will come naturally as the games pile up.
“I think even the other guys I’m throwing to, you’re kind of building this rapport as you go through the real thing,” said Cousins about Bowers potentially returning to the lineup. “OTAs is one thing, training camp’s one thing, preseason games are one thing. It’s all building a foundation, but there’s nothing quite like real games.
These last two weeks have been great experience for us as a unit to kind of gather together and, with Brock, he’s, if you will, two weeks behind, but great to have him back and we’ll be building that rapport as well every snap we have together this week and on Sunday.”
Two games do not make a finished team, and the Raiders know that. But the progress has been real, the start has been strong, and the next test will show whether this early momentum can hold up once the schedule starts asking tougher questions.
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