The Raiders are 3-0 again, and this one had the kind of chaos that can tell you a lot about a team. They went into New Orleans with everyone available to run Klint Kubiak’s offense, got the kind of defensive plays that swing a game, and walked out of the Caesars Superdome with a 35-27 win over the Saints in a wild one Sunday.
That puts Las Vegas in a familiar place. The last time the Raiders opened 3-0 was 2021, and that season ended with a playoff berth - their most recent trip to the postseason.
Now they’re tied with Kansas City for the AFC West lead, and the Chiefs are next on the schedule at Allegiant Stadium in a week. Patrick Mahomes against Maxx Crosby again.
And maybe a little less of the usual Chiefs Kingdom takeover, too.
“It was far from a perfect game, and so you have to just keep kind of playing through the smoke,” Kubiak said. “I'm proud of our resilience, the way we kept fighting.”
The biggest lift came from Brock Bowers, back after missing the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season to repair his left knee. He had the kind of return the Raiders had been waiting on all along.
Bowers missed those first two games after a meniscus trim procedure on his left knee late in training camp, but he said he was ready to go Sunday and immediately got involved. On the Raiders’ first snap from scrimmage, Kirk Cousins hit him in the right flat for eight yards.
Bowers finished with 10 catches on 13 targets for 116 yards and the game-winning touchdown, a 4-yard grab from Cousins.
“Brock’s always been a guy we can count on,” Kubiak said. “But for him to step on the field and do what he did, we’re really proud of him.” Bowers on return:
But this wasn’t just about one player coming back. The Raiders had contributions all over the place.
Mike Washington Jr. broke loose for a 36-yard run and his first NFL touchdown. Cody White found the end zone for the second straight week. Cousins threw three touchdown passes, avoided an interception and answered after being sacked three times by an aggressive Saints pass rush.
The defense kept delivering, too. Malcolm Koonce forced a fumble that Crosby recovered to wipe out a potential New Orleans scoring drive.
Jeremy Chinn came through on 4th-and-2 at the Raiders 21 with a sack of Tyler Shough. Zeke Masses picked off a pass, his third interception in the last two games.
Then, with the Saints trying to tie it and force overtime, Nakobe Dean punched the ball loose from Juwan Johnson and Eric Stokes recovered to finish it off. Four turnovers forced in the fourth quarter.
That’s a full-team win.
If anyone still wants to call this start a fluke, the last five years in Las Vegas say otherwise. General manager John Spytek’s work is showing up on the field, and Kubiak and his staff have this group buying in. The Raiders aren’t flawless, but when they make mistakes, they aren’t letting them snowball.
“It’s a team game,” Kubiak said. “They find a way to win. That’s what good teams do.”
The preseason win total was set at 5 1/2 by most sportsbooks, and Las Vegas is already more than halfway there after road wins at Los Angeles against the Chargers and now in New Orleans. That’s especially notable for a team that won just three games all of last season.
Still, nobody in that locker room is acting like anything has been solved. There’s happiness, sure, but no one is confusing a 3-0 start with a finished product. Kubiak keeps talking about 17 one-game seasons, and the Raiders have only played three of them so far.
They also came out of Sunday with injury concerns. Receiver Jack Bech has a fractured forearm, and guard Jackson Powers-Johnson has a groin injury, which means the offensive line depth will be tested again.
The bigger danger now is complacency, and the veterans in that room seem well aware of it. After what this franchise went through, they have no interest in sliding back into losing.
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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 🡒]
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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 3-0 Start Just Made Kubiaks Call Look Even Bigger
Three games into a season rebuilt by major offseason changes, the Raiders have spent the early going looking more stable than many expected. The 3-0 start has given Klint Kubiak plenty of reasons to like how his team has responded, especially after Las Vegas had to battle back from a second-half deficit in its Week 3 win.
Kubiak also made a lineup call against the Saints that ended up carrying real weight, and tight end Bowers rewarded it with a big afternoon on the ground. Bowers finished with 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, and his impact helped the offense click alongside Mike Mayer, giving Las Vegas another sign that the early-season formula is working. [Read more 🡒]