After the Las Vegas Raiders won in Week 1, it was largely dismissed because it was against the lowly Miami Dolphins. In Week 2, the Raiders dominated the Los Angeles Chargers, but all anybody could talk about was how bad the Chargers are, largely ignoring the Raiders.
Heading into Week 3, many expected Las Vegas to lose to the New Orleans Saints. At times, it looked like that was where the game was headed, but this is clearly a different ball club under new head coach Klint Kubiak.
The Raiders went on the road and beat the Saints 35-27 in a nail-biter. There were times that it looked like the game would get away from the team, but they kept fighting back.
A big reason for the win was thanks to a big performance from quarterback Kirk Cousins. He threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. A lot of people want to see rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza play, but Cousins is making the Raiders’ life easy. Kubiak had some strong thoughts on the veteran quarterback after the win.
“He’s been leading this way since April. Not surprised by what he’s doing. But again, it’s three games into the year. We are not taking anyone’s flowers,” Kubiak told reporters after the game.
Is Cousins An MVP Candidate?
Through three games, Cousins is tied for the NFL lead with nine touchdown passes. His performance was a little rocky in Week 1, but he’s been elite the last two games.
At this point, he has to be considered one of the frontrunners to win MVP. There’s still a lot of the season left, but he’s making a strong case for being in awards conversations.
Not only have his stats been impressive, but he’s also helped take the worst team in the NFL last season and led them to a 3-0 record. Now, he’s going to have to keep up this pace. He’s never finished as an MVP finalist in the past, so it’s hard to see it happening now that he’s 38. That said, he’s already defying expectations, so if he plays well and leads the Raiders to the playoffs, he deserves recognition.
What’s Next for Raiders?
This is not where anybody expected the Raiders to be this season. While they were expected to improve, even the most optimistic fan would’ve had a hard time predicting 3-0.
The Saints were a real test, but things get harder in Week 4. The Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs, which is never an easy matchup. The Chiefs are also 3-0, so this game is for the lead in the AFC West.
Winning this game would be a massive statement for the Raiders. It would show that they deserve to be considered among the top teams in the AFC. Also, starting 4-0 would make getting to the playoffs a lot easier. The Raiders are playing with house money right now. Nobody expects them to go on a deep playoff run. They’re not even playing their quarterback of the future right now. That said, there’s no reason why they can’t go on a run this year if they keep playing like this.
Raiders HC Klint Kubiak Sends Clear Message on Kirk Cousins