The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0 for the first time since 2021. With Kirk Cousins thriving and Klint Kubiak changing the culture, are they finally for real?
The Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2021, according to The Athletic’s Sam Warren. Kubiak is now just the fourth full-time head coach in franchise history to win his first two games, joining Al Davis, John Madden and Bill Callahan. Warren called it a statement win over a divisional opponent. It’s also the franchise’s first 2-0 start in five years.
Klint Kubiak was in his bag on Sunday…
The passing game carried Las Vegas. Kirk Cousins went 19-of-29 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Cody White caught two of them, from 13 and 11 yards, and Tre Tucker added a 40-yarder. Production from beyond the top of the receiver depth chart is exactly what a bridge-quarterback offense needs.
Matt Gay’s 59-yard field goal just before halftime sent Las Vegas into the break, up 10-7. The ground game is the flag: 57 yards on 29 carries, including kneel-downs, so the backfield and offensive line remain the depth-chart question. Defensively, the Raiders sacked Justin Herbert three times, intercepted him twice and forced four fumbles.
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The cap picture makes this sweeter. Cousins’ deal is built as a low-risk bridge: the Falcons are paying $8.7 million of his 2026 salary while the Raiders add $1.3 million, plus a guaranteed $10 million roster bonus next March. Wins on that budget preserve flexibility for the roster moves still to come.
Expect the two-year, $80 million option for 2027 and 2028, which was viewed as unlikely to be picked up, to become a real conversation if Cousins keeps this up.
Does this 2-0 start, built on a bridge quarterback and an unorthodox receiver room, convince you Kubiak’s Raiders are for real?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images