Kirk Cousins and the Las Vegas Raiders are straight-up perfect after Sunday’s insane 35-27 comeback win against the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome. That’s a 3-0 start to the year, their best since way back in 2021 when they actually finished 10-7 and hit the playoffs. This isn’t just another win, it’s a statement from a team nobody saw coming.
Saints Thought They Had It Locked
For most of the game, it looked like the Saints were going to cruise to an easy victory. Quarterback Tyler Shough was having a career day, tossing four touchdowns. He hooked up with tight ends Noah Fant and Juwan Johnson twice each. Seriously, it felt like “National TE Day” out there. When Shough hit Fant for a 16-yard score, it put the Saints up by 11 points. The game seemed all but over, with New Orleans looking dominant and the Raiders just trying to hang on.
The Raiders’ Epic 4th Quarter Turnover Spree
Then, everything went sideways for New Orleans. The Raiders defense turned up the heat, forcing a fumble from Shough on the very next possession. Maxx Crosby scooped it up, setting the stage for the go-ahead touchdown: a 4-yard strike from Kirk Cousins to Cody White. But the chaos didn’t stop there. Just three plays later, Shough made his biggest mistake, throwing a bad interception right to rookie Hezekiah Masses, who took it deep into scoring territory. That gift immediately led to another Raiders touchdown, a 4-yard pass to Brock Bowers. The Saints got into scoring position one last time, thanks to a huge 22-yard pass to Johnson, but Jeremy Chinn came up huge, drilling Shough in the backfield and forcing yet another fumble. And just when you thought it couldn’t get crazier, Johnson fumbled the ball away on the Saints’ final possession. That was the fourth turnover in the fourth quarter alone, and it was more than enough to seal the deal for the Raiders.
Can This Team Keep Proving Everyone Wrong?
A 3-0 start is huge for any team, but especially for a Raiders franchise that hasn’t seen a playoff win since 2002, when they lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ve had six different head coaches in the last six seasons, so seeing Klint Kubiak roll out to a perfect start, and doing it all without their reigning No. 1 overall pick and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza even playing a snap, is wild. They still have a long road to make a serious run at what would only be their second postseason berth since moving to Nevada, but this team is showing some serious grit.
The Raiders have proven they can battle back and force critical turnovers when it matters most. The big question now is whether they can maintain this perfect record. Will this early form hold up, or was the Saints game just a flash in the pan? The next few weeks will tell us everything about what this wild start actually means for their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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