It’s been a while since Las Vegas Raiders fans have had this much to cheer about at the end of September. Five years, to be exact, as the Raiders’ Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints improved their record to a perfect 3-0 for the first time since 2021. It wasn’t the prettiest game, with Las Vegas having to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit
to pull off the upset on the road.But the Silver and Black embraced Al Davis’ “Just win, baby!” mantra and got the job done, leading to a positive tune for
this week’s winners and losers.
WINNER: Brock Bowers
Sunday was not only Bowers’ season debut, but also his first game in 273 days after ending last year on injured reserve, and he reminded everyone why he’s so great. The tight end hauled in 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown and was the team’s leading receiver by a wide margin, with six more grabs (nine more targets) and 73 more yards than any other Raiders pass-catcher.
What’s even more exciting is that Klint Kubiak is using Bowers all over the field, with 39% of his pass snaps coming as a slot receiver, another 39% out wide and 17.1% as an in-line tight end against the Saints, per Pro Football Focus. That’s part of what can make Las Vegas’ offense scary moving forward, as the team ranks tied for seventh with 29.3 points per game and Kubiak has only had his best chess piece for one game.
WINNER: Malcolm Koonce
The Raiders have been waiting for Koonce to take the next step, signing him to “prove-it” contracts in back-to-back offseasons. He was solid in the first two games of the campaign, but really came alive in New Orleans. The 2021 third-round pick tied Maxx Crosby for the team lead with six pressures and did it on just 21 pass-rush snaps while Crosby had 39 rushes, per PFF.
On top of that, most (if not all) of Koonce’s production came when it mattered most: the fourth quarter. He helped fuel the Raiders’ comeback effort and close the door on the Saints, coming up with a strip-sack that set up Las Vegas’ go-ahead touchdown and a quarterback hit that caused an interception and led to another score to go up eight points.
That helped Koonce earn the second-highest PFF pass-rush grade (91.6) among edge rushers in Week 3, pre-Monday Night Football.
LOSER: Jackson Powers-Johnson
To be fair, the entire Raiders’ offensive line has struggled in the running game since the season opener. But Powers-Johnson has been one of the unit’s biggest problems, failing to record a PFF run-blocking grade above the baseline (60.0) in all three games. He hit a new low against the Saints with an ugly 34.6 mark. Additionally, the third-year pro has battled injuries throughout his career and exited Sunday’s game early.
It was only five total snaps and just four in the running game, but backup Caleb Rogers — who JPJ was competing for a starting spot with in training camp — posted a 74.9 grade as a run blocker. Again, it’s a small sample size. But between Powers-Johnson getting banged up and struggling on the field, plenty of signs point to Kubiak making a change at right guard in the near future.
WINNER: Nakobe Dean
Nakobe Dean, the turnover machine!
The free-agent signing has become arguably Las Vegas’ most-impactful defender, forcing a fumble in each of the team’s first three games of the season. He also led the team in tackles (12), again, and made plenty of plays near the line of scrimmage with five ‘defensive stops’, tied for the sixth-most among Week 3 linebackers according to PFF. Three of those came in coverage, and Dean added a PBU to his stat line, earning an elite 90.4 overall mark from PFF.
LOSER: Isaiah Pola-Mao
It’s safe to say that the Raiders have missed starting free safety Treydan Stukes, who left the Chargers game early with a concussion and didn’t clear the NFL’s protocol in time to suit up this past Sunday. Meanwhile, Pola-Mao had a bad coverage break in Los Angeles, and his issues carried over to New Orleans, allowing five completions on five targets for 39 yards and three of the Saints’ four touchdowns.
The good news is that he’s just a backup. But the bad news is that the Raiders are clearly thin at safety and could be in trouble if Stukes has to miss more time or suffers another injury down the line.
WINNER: Kirk Cousins
After a shaky performance in Week 1, Cousins has silenced the doubters over the last two games. He tossed three more touchdowns and was two yards shy of having back-to-back 250-yard performances. Also, it was clear that having a reliable intermediate target in Bowers helped the quarterback have a more efficient outing and gave him a safety valve.
Plenty of people (understandably) want to see Fernando Mendoza make his NFL debut. However, they’re going to have to be more patient if Cousins continues to play like this.
LOSER: Eric Stokes
Stokes might be the luckiest corner in the league right now, as he’s still yet to force an incompletion, per PFF. He was targeted seven times by the Saints and only gave up four catches for 40 yards. But one of the passes that hit the ground was a missed deep shot by Tyler Shough, where the wide receiver, Bryce Lance, was wide open for an explosive play. Additionally, the veteran corner bit on a play-action fake that left tight end Noah Fant open in the flat, allowing Fant to secure the catch and run the ball into the end zone.
Through three games, Stokes has been targeted 10 times and given up 113 yards for two touchdowns. All of those numbers are the most among the Raiders’ cornerbacks, and he gave up 28 receptions on 50 targets for 261 yards and just one score in 16 games last year. With Hezekiah Masses rising and Darien Porter playing well in the season opener, Rob Leonard might have to make a change in the secondary if Stokes doesn’t turn things around quickly.
