If Klint Kubiak and John Spytek showcase supreme auras of confidence, it’d be hard to criticize the Las Vegas Raiders head coach and general manager, respectively, for doing so.
Because in an AFC West matchup between the Raiders and Chargers, an undrafted wide receiver that Kubiak is all too familiar with during his Seattle Seahawks days and a rookie fifth-round cornerback Spytek and his personnel room scouted and drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft both doubled up helping power Las Vegas’ 26-14 road win
over Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
Cody White, a 6-foot-3, 227-pound 27-year-old wideout from Michigan State that I dubbed as a “Seattle import”, seemingly came out of nowhere to haul in two key second-half touchdowns. His first was an excellent 13-yard diving reception in the third quarter that capped an 11-play, 74-yard drive to give Las Vegas back the lead — 17-14 — to answer a Los Angeles touchdown. White’s second was a textbook 11-yard reception where the Chargers defense forgot about the big wide receiver altogether.
To cement White’s status as a practice squad call-up to significant game day contributor, the CBS broadcast wasn’t even prepped for a standout performance from him that the initially graphic shown on TV read “Corey Rucker” and not White. (Rucker, by the way, is an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State that landed on injured reserve after an undisclosed injury in early June.)
CBS’ faux paus doesn’t excuse Los Angeles’ gaffe, however.
The Bolts supremely looked like dolts as defenders covered tight end Michael Mayer and wide receiver Jack Bech got the bracket coverage treatment resulting in no defensive back accounting for the Raiders’ big wideout — wide open touchdown and a 24-14 lead. White even had a good sense of humor after the game regarding CBS’ mistake with this post:
The other portion of the Raiders double-double arrived in the form of Masses.
The Cal cornerback drew the start with Darien Porter inactive and the 22-year-old showcased confidence and took full advantage of the opportunity presented to him like White did. Masses knew he would be targeted as a late-round rookie getting his first NFL start and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert obliged, resulting in a pair of interceptions.
The initial pick arrived in the first quarter on a rep where Masses got caught looking in the backfield before sprinting to catch up to Chargers tight end David Njoku. The veteran bobbled the ball popping it up allowing Masses to catch the ricochet.
Masses’ second takeaway happened in the fourth quarter with the Bolts looking to come back as the 6-foot-1 and 185-pound ballhawk stepped in front of the pass for the interception.
Two standout performances from two unheralded players in a division matchup was an impressive sight as was another exhibit of complementary Raiders’ football. It all resulted in the Raiders starting the Kubiak era 2-0 with the Silver & Black showing the ability to collectively win.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as White and Masses made themselves fan favorites in Week 2:
—Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a trio of touchdowns again going 19 of 29 for 253 yards with one interception. The 38-year-old signal caller showed plenty of arm strength on a pair of 40-yard passes to wideout Tre Tucker but did have a misfire on wide open rookie wide receiver Malik Benson.
—Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty was bottled up by the Chargers defense producing just 48 yards on 21 carries. At times, it looked like we were watching the Brennan Carroll coached ground game as opposed to what Las Vegas produced in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
—But the Bolts couldn’t contain the Raiders’ air attack paced by Tucker (five catches for 119 yards and a score) and White (two receptions for 24 yards and two scores). Jeanty hauled in four passes for 15 yards but had a case of butterfingers dropping would-be first downs.
—Rob Leonard’s Raiders defense is certainly an attacking type this is aggressive and swarms to the ball. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker — the high-priced linebackers added in free agency — paced the group with 10 total tackles, apiece. Dean had the big forced fumble in the fourth quarter to help seal the deal.
—In a rarity, Raiders punter AJ Cole III was outperformed. While he did have six punts for 227 yards (46.2 yards per boot average) with four of them dropped or down inside the Chargers’ 20-yard line, Bolts punter JK Scott had a higher average on his five boots (for 258 yards) at 51.6 yards per punt.
Quotes of Note
“It just meant the world. Just being able to go out there and make the plays when Kirk was able to give me some opportunities. It just felt amazing to go out there and get a win.”
—Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Cody White on his two-touchdown performance
“I couldn’t even sleep last night, man. I was like, ‘I can’t let my team down.’ I knew they were going to try to come at me being a rookie and I just had to make plays on the ball. I just want to get the ball. Wherever the ball’s at, that’s where I’m trying to be and just make plays.”
—Las Vegas Raiders rookie cornerback Hezekiah Masses on his two-interception performance
Up Next
The Raiders (1-1/2-0) continue the road show with a date at the New Orleans Saints (1-1) next Sunday afternoon. Kellen Moore’s Saints dropped the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 this past Sunday scoring 15 fourth-quarter points while blanking the home team in that final stanza for a big road victory. Expect another tough test for Kubiak’s Raiders as the Saints could easily be 2-0 heading into the Week 3 matchup instead of 1-1.
