The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0 and embracing the underdog role. Can Klint Kubiak’s message carry them through a brutal October?
Kubiak’s locker room speech after Sunday’s 26-14 win over the Chargers has gone viral, drawing more than 1.5 million views on the team’s X account. Kubiak told his players that changing a place means doing “something they say you can’t,” celebrated winning as seven-point underdogs, then pivoted to staying humble in victory before handing the postgame break to safety Jeremy Chinn.
The speech lands because the results back it up. Kubiak is the fourth coach in franchise history to win his first two games, and Las Vegas is 2-0 for the first time since 2021. The win drew on the whole roster. Nakobe Dean forced the fumble that Chinn returned 43 yards, setting up Cody White’s second touchdown, and rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses intercepted Justin Herbert twice. Tre Tucker added 119 receiving yards. Kubiak also coached aggressively, converting a fourth-and-1 from his own 35 while trailing and mixing in a double pass.
The Raiders depth chart still has a hole…
Tight end Brock Bowers missed a second straight game with a knee injury, and starter Michael Mayer had three catches for 23 yards, though Kubiak said Bowers was nearly ready to play. On the cap, Kirk Cousins’ contract looks like a low-risk bridge. Atlanta is covering $8.7 million of his 2026 salary while the Raiders add $1.3 million, with a guaranteed $10 million roster bonus due next March. Cousins threw for three touchdowns again, and winning on that budget keeps flexibility intact while No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza watches from the sideline.
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The underdog label isn’t going away. Las Vegas is a 3.5-point underdog at New Orleans next week. Then come the Kansas City Chiefs (Oct. 4), New England Patriots (Oct. 11), Buffalo Bills (Oct. 18) and Los Angeles Rams (Oct. 25), followed by a November slate that includes the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.
If Bowers returns in New Orleans, the Raiders could plausibly be 3-0 when the Chiefs game arrives, and Kubiak will keep feeding the underdog chip either way.
Can Kubiak’s underdog mentality carry the Raiders through October, or will the brutal schedule expose this roster?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images