If it isn’t crystal clear yet, the version of Klint Kubiak we see at the podium during media availability or postgame press conferences is quite different than the locker room variant.
A pragmatic and much more subdued Las Vegas Raiders head coach is what we get throughout the week and after games when Kubiak fields questions from media. And that’s the tale of the tape for the rookie head honcho. He’s never been loquacious with a mic in front of his face.
But the glimpses of a jubilant — and may I
say somewhat defiant — Kubiak giving postgame kudos to his football team is a welcome sight. We got a brief window into the locker room version of the neophyte head coach and it gives you an example of how he both relates to his players and commands a room.
Behold the official post by the team:
That video above makes for good media material and it was natural for a reporter to ask Kubiak about it during his Monday media session: Is doubt a motivating factor for you and this team? Was the specific query.
“Well, I think the NFL is a hard league. It’s hard to move the ball, it’s hard to stop people. It’s the best athletes in the world. And especially with our team, we definitely have an underdog mentality and we have a lot to prove, and you don’t prove it in two games,” Kubiak said in response. “So, we got to prove it every week.”
Kubiak calling out the seven-point underdogs portion that bookmakers earmarked his football team is that strain of defiance. While many of us may be surprised at the Raiders 2-0 start, Kubiak clearly isn’t.
Kubiak hit nail on head at the beginning: “How do you change a place? You do something they say you can’t.” Even after the Los Angeles Chargers face planted against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, the Week 2 matchup in Inglewood with the incoming Silver & Black was largely seen as a get-right/bounce back game.
The only thing that bounced were the checks the 0-2 Chargers suddenly cannot cash as the Raiders dropped the Bolts 26-14. And it was a game where there were a number of ups and downs for Las Vegas, so much so, that if Kubiak and Co. avoided mental lapses, the final score would’ve been much more indicative of a true beatdown.
But a win is a win. And the early standings have Las Vegas tied with the Kansas City Chiefs as the only unbeatens in the AFC West. Knock the quality of opponents all you want — the Raiders played the Miami Dolphins and Chargers so far — but the end result are victories
“Yeah, I think it just reinforces the messages that we’ve been sending. Our guys have been very coachable and our guys want to win. Winning is important to this team, it’s important to this coaching staff,” Kubiak said. “We also have very short memories and know that you can only win one at a time. And so, we’re turning the page and now we get to prepare to play a really good Saints team.”
That’s ultimately the rub — the next game. There are 15 of those left on the 2026 slate.
Kubiak’s hard-charging Raiders are set to hit the road once more and head to New Orleans to take on an impressive Saints squad. Kellen Moore’s football team could easily be 2-0 instead of 1-1 and is playing complementary football in all three phases — on offense, defense, and special teams.
Not surprisingly, that’s a trait Kubiak’s Raiders have showcased in its first two games to remain unbeaten thus far.
“Yeah, complementary football wins games. Early in the game, we didn’t play complementary football,” Kubiak said referring to the Week 2 contest against the Chargers. “You know, we got the ball and didn’t punch it in, in the red zone, but then we finish the game off with a touchdown there. So, that’s what good teams do, and that’s what we got to keep doing.”
There’s a belief permeating with the Raiders instilled by Kubiak, his coaching staff, and even ownership with minority owner Tom Brady. And it’s a foundational driver for a football team in dire need of it. Las Vegas newfound resilience and synergy will be thoroughly tested through the rest of September and October as the team faces a gauntlet over the next five games.
First is a road matchup with the Saints and that’s followed by a home game against the Chiefs, a road trip to face the New England Patriots, and back-to-back games inside Allegiant Stadium facing the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
Kubiak’s Raiders will need to showcase the resolve in those tough matchups as the next five games are just as challenging as the team meets the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns all before the team’s Week 13 bye week to start the month of December.
And Kubiak made no bones about it.
“I enjoy that our team is 2-0, our organization is 2-0. No one’s made the playoffs going 2-0,” the head coach said.
Confidence and momentum can be a fragile thing, especially for a football team that hasn’t consistently had it with previous regimes. But this rendition of the Raiders does have it and we’ll get a bird’s eye view of how the team maintains it. There will be stumbles. And seeing how Kubiak navigates will be something to behold. But in two games, without their best offensive weapon in elite tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders came out victorious in its first two games.
“Yeah, just got done talking to the players. There’s a lot of ways to win a game,” Kubiak said. “Offense, defense and special teams all playing together is the best way to ensure a win. But it’s never going to be perfect, and I thought big credit to the Chargers that took away the run game.”
Sometimes, a bit of stubbornness is the best medicine. And as a run game truther, Kubiak didn’t shy away from the ground attack even though the Bolts stymied it for much of the game. That mentality did open up the play action air attack which the Chargers couldn’t contain.
“Yeah, I think that’s something you got to always try,” said Kubiak. “Our defense was playing really well and allowed us to keep trying. But big credit to our defense, big credit to Kirk (Cousins) and the receivers and tight ends getting open. And when they took one part of the game away, then our guys did a good job responding with something else. But got to get the run game better.”
