The Las Vegas Raiders are straight-up on fire, hitting 3-0 for the first time since way back in the 2021 season after pulling off a wild 35-27 comeback win against the New Orleans Saints. Kirk Cousins absolutely balled out, tossing three touchdown passes to keep that perfect record alive, especially when things looked grim.
Saints Thought They Had It Locked Up
Dude, you gotta hand it to the Saints, they came to play. They were actually 3.5-point favorites at home, even with the Raiders rocking a 2-0 record against their 1-1. New Orleans jumped out early, with Tyler Shough hitting Juwan Johnson for a short touchdown. Even after a blocked extra point, they had a 6-3 lead in the first. The Raiders’ offense started rolling in the second, putting up 13 points with two field goals and a Michael Mayer reception for a score, hitting paydirt on all three possessions. But New Orleans wasn’t just gonna roll over, Shough found Noah Fant to cut the deficit to 16-13 going into halftime.
Then the third quarter hit, and the Saints just went off. Johnson snagged his second touchdown, and their defense even forced a fumble, setting up a lightning-fast 47-second drive that ended with Fant getting his second score. It looked like New Orleans was pulling away, but Mike Washington Jr. dropped a monstrous 36-yard rushing touchdown to keep the Raiders within five points heading into the final quarter. Talk about stopping the bleeding!
Absolute Chaos and a Raiders Fourth Quarter Masterclass
The fourth quarter? Man, that was a disaster class for the Saints. They coughed up the ball **four times**, just gifting the Raiders opportunities. And Las Vegas? They capitalized big time. Cody White hauled in a pass from Cousins to finally snatch the lead, then tight end Brock Bowers found the end zone, capping off a massive 10-catch, 116-yard, 1-touchdown performance on 13 targets for him. This dude is a straight-up playmaker, already making huge waves. The Raiders sealed the deal with a clutch fourth-down sack, forcing a fumble on Shough, and then grabbing another fumble recovery. It was a complete 13-0 shutout in that final quarter, silencing all the doubters who thought the Saints had this one locked up. What a dominant finish on both sides of the ball when it mattered most.
So, the Raiders are sitting pretty at 3-0, right there with the Chiefs at the top of the AFC West standings. New Orleans, meanwhile, is now 1-2, stuck in the middle of the NFC South. You know what’s next, though? Las Vegas hosts the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday. That’s gonna be a showdown for undisputed control of the AFC West, an early season battle between two perfect teams. You can bet that game’s gonna be wild!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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