Okay, you are NOT going to believe this one. The Las Vegas Raiders are straight up 3-0! I’m talking about a record they haven’t touched since way back in 2002, and they did it in the most dramatic fashion possible. They walked away with a 35-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints, but man, it was a wild ride, and honestly, the Saints are probably still wondering what hit them in the final quarter.
Saints Thought They Had It Locked Down
This game was a total rollercoaster, seriously. The Raiders actually held a tight 16-13 lead going into halftime, feeling pretty good, right? But then the third quarter hit, and New Orleans just came alive. It was a rapid-fire sequence that completely flipped the script. First, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough hit Juwan Johnson with a 1-yard touchdown pass. No big deal, right? Except the Raiders fumbled the ensuing kickoff, handing the ball right back to the Saints. You could practically feel the air leave the stadium. Shough wasted no time, connecting with Noah Fant for a 16-yard score, and just like that, the Saints were up 27-16 with only 5:46 left in the third. It felt like they had taken complete control of the game, like it was over. But oh, how wrong everyone was.
The Fourth-Quarter Takeaway Avalanche
From that point on, it was all Las Vegas. The Raiders refused to roll over. They fired back with a quick, five-play drive that Mike Washington capped off with a massive 36-yard touchdown run. They went for two, but it failed, leaving them still trailing 27-22. The tension was insane! But that’s when the real magic started. The Saints, thinking they were still in control, began to unravel. Shough lost the ball on a critical strip-sack in Las Vegas territory, a huge turnover on third-and-4 from the Raiders’ own 29-yard line. Kirk Cousins, being Kirk Cousins, seized the moment. He found Cody White for a 4-yard touchdown, putting the Raiders up 28-27 with a little over nine minutes left in regulation.
And it didn’t stop there! Down by just one point, Shough then threw an interception, setting up Cousins for another huge play. This time, it was a 4-yard touchdown to Brock Bowers, who was making his 2026 debut! Talk about a way to announce your arrival. That score pushed the lead to 35-27, and the Saints just couldn’t recover. Four takeaways in the final period? That’s not just luck, that’s pure grit and a relentless defensive effort.
This kind of comeback from a 27-22 deficit in the fourth quarter, getting four takeaways when it mattered most, tells you everything you need to know about this Raiders squad. They’re 3-0, and right now, they’re looking like a team that just refuses to lose. You absolutely love to see it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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