HENDERSON, Nev.-The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0 and heading to New Orleans to face the Saints, and the way they’ve gotten there has sparked a noisy debate that doesn’t seem to match what’s actually happening on the field.
That’s the heart of the criticism aimed at Klint Kubiak’s offense this week: after a Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins and a Week 2 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers, some have fixated on the passing numbers and the run game rather than the results. In the opener, Kirk Cousins was criticized because he threw the ball downfield, defined here as 10 or more yards, only seven times and completed one of those attempts. The criticism also tried to stir up a quarterback controversy with rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, even though the source of the issue was presented as Miami’s defensive scheme.
Against the Chargers, the numbers on the ground were ugly on paper. The Raiders ran it 29 times for 57 yards, a 1.97-yard average.
But the way the game unfolded told a different story. Los Angeles sold out to stop the run and took away the intermediate passing game, forcing the Raiders to lean into what was available.
That approach helped open up the deep part of the field, where Las Vegas attacked successfully.
Cousins and the Raiders also dealt with five drops, plus an interception on a play described as a fluke because Cousins was asked to throw before the receiver made his cut and the receiver tripped. The criticism, according to the source, missed that context and ignored the downfield damage Las Vegas did create.
Kubiak didn’t sound interested in chasing outside approval. His message was about winning, not style points.
"I think that's something you got to always try. Our defense was playing really well and allowed us to keep trying.
But big credit to our defense, big credit to Kirk [Cousins] and the receivers and tight ends getting open. And when they took one part of the game away, then our guys did a good job responding with something else.
But got to get the run game better."
He also pointed to the hits Cousins absorbed and the need to clean that up.
"Yeah, that's always going to be a part of it. I thought [Kirk] Cousins did a great job of going through his progressions and getting it to the [running] back when it wasn't there.
And our receivers did a good job getting up and down the field. Our quarterback got hit too many times.
He got hit 10 times yesterday, two sacks. So, we have to improve there."
Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko echoed the same theme, stressing balance and the need to keep the offense moving without becoming predictable.
"We're always looking to strike a good balance with the run, with the pass, doing what we do best wherever we can stay ahead of the sticks, and just progressing, getting better at the run game, getting better at the pass game. And then trying to strike a great balance in between the two to make us the most multifaceted."
Kubiak later repeated that the Chargers were prepared for what the Raiders wanted to do and made life difficult up front.
"Yeah, I think number one was the Chargers did a great job. They were a tough front to block.
They were ready for us, and it was one of those games. But you always got to find a way to win.
The goal is to win the game, and when one facet's not working, then somebody else has to step up."
The bigger point, as framed in the source, is that Kubiak isn’t trying to win beauty contests. If a defense wants to load up against the run, the Raiders will keep making it a choice for opponents, not a concession. The offense is built to make defenses pay elsewhere, and Kubiak’s answer to the noise has been the same as his answer on the field: keep winning.
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