Raiders reach 3-0 under Klint Kubiak after comeback against Saints
Las Vegas has matched its entire 2025 win total in three games. A comeback in New Orleans showed the contribution of Kirk Cousins, Brock Bowers and the defense, while a meeting with Kansas City awaits.
The Las Vegas Raiders moved to 3-0 under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak with a 35-27 comeback win over the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans on 27 September. They have already matched their total of three wins from all of 2025. Kirk Cousins has produced touchdowns consistently, while a defense that forced four fourth-quarter turnovers helped rescue the latest victory.
The unbeaten start is the development behind the Raiders’ place among the early surprises identified by the Guardian’s Doug Farrar on 1 October. Farrar cautioned that it was too early to know which of the NFL’s opening-season surprises would endure. For Las Vegas, the result against New Orleans offers a clear account of what has improved, along with a reminder that its first three games are still a small sample.
How the Raiders came back against the Saints
New Orleans led 27-16 late in the third quarter, leaving Las Vegas 11 points behind in the second half. The Raiders recovered to win by eight as four Saints drives in the fourth quarter ended in turnovers. NFL.com reported that safety Jeremy Chinn’s strip-sack of quarterback Tyler Shough on fourth-and-one stopped New Orleans’ final drive.
The comeback showed why the defense belongs in the account of this start. A team can score enough to stay close and still need a stop to finish the job. Against the Saints, the late takeaways gave Las Vegas that chance repeatedly. Kubiak told the Associated Press that the situation, with the team’s backs against the wall, revealed his players’ resilience and toughness. He said their focus was on improving daily and preparing for the next game.
Cousins and Bowers add to the Raiders’ offense
Cousins threw at least three touchdown passes in each of the Raiders’ first three games. According to NFL.com and AP, that tied the longest such run of his career and was the league’s longest active streak when NFL.com reported it. AP also reported that Cousins was the first quarterback since Russell Wilson in 2020 to open a season with three wins and at least three touchdown passes in each game.
The Saints game brought another option into the offense. Tight end Brock Bowers made his season debut after missing the first two games following a knee procedure. He caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, with his fourth-quarter score proving to be the game-winner. AP reported that Bowers often lined up wide while Michael Mayer took a more traditional inside tight end role, creating a difficult pairing for opponents to cover.
Bowers’ return also changes the picture from the opening two weeks. NewsJaws earlier reported on his knee injury ahead of the Chargers game; against New Orleans, he was back on the field and became a central part of the comeback. AP reported that receiver Jack Bech broke his arm against the Saints, however, and that guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was being evaluated for a groin issue. Kubiak said the club had not yet made a roster decision on Bech.
What the early defensive numbers show
Pro Football Focus ranked the Raiders’ defense second in expected points added per play, fifth in yards allowed per play and second in scoring-drive rate after three games. Its account credited more than star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby. PFF recorded 11 pressures and three sacks for Malcolm Koonce on 60 pass-rushing snaps, and gave linebacker Nakobe Dean a preliminary grade of 75.6. PFF said its Week 3 grades still awaited final review.
PFF said Las Vegas generated at least 20 pressures in each of its first three games, compared with three games at that level during all of 2025. Its reported blitz rate was 25.7%, the league’s sixth-lowest at that point. PFF described first-year defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s unit as an anchor of the start. Those figures describe three games of production; they cannot yet establish where the defense will rank across a full season.
The Chiefs test and the limits of a 3-0 record
The Raiders last started 3-0 in 2021, AP reported, the same season they last reached the playoffs. AP’s historical figures show why an unbeaten opening attracts attention: 23 of 28 teams that began 3-0 from 2020 onward made the playoffs, as did 109 of 148 such teams from 1990 through 2019. Those records are context, not a forecast for this Raiders team.
There are questions within the early results, too. AP identified a weak ground game in consecutive games, even as Cousins supplied passing touchdowns and the defense delivered late stops. The next scheduled test is at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 4 October; AP reported that Kansas City was also 3-0. That game will provide more evidence about Las Vegas’ start, while its longer-term form and playoff prospects remain unsettled.
Sources and context
- Pleasant surprises of the NFL season so far: Brock Purdy for MVP and actual Raiders competenceThe Guardian
- 2026 NFL season, Week 3: What We Learned from Sunday's gamesNFL.com
- Raiders off to surprising 3-0 start as unbeaten Chiefs set to visitAssociated Press (republished by The Washington Post)
- New faces, unexpected contributors fueling Raiders’ stingy defense amid 3-0 startPro Football Focus
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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