Raiders Reach 2-0 With 26-14 Chargers Win as Cousins Throws 3 TDs
Updated
Updated · NFL.com · Sep 21
Raiders Reach 2-0 With 26-14 Chargers Win as Cousins Throws 3 TDs
3 articles · Updated · NFL.com · Sep 21
Summary
Las Vegas opened 2-0 for the first time since 2021 by beating the Chargers 26-14, emerging as the NFL’s most surprising unbeaten team through two weeks.
Kirk Cousins drove the upset with 181 yards and three touchdowns on throws of 10-plus air yards, including a 40-yard score to Tre Tucker.
Klint Kubiak’s revamped offense and Rob Leonard’s swarming defense have changed the Raiders’ profile, with Vegas forcing five turnovers in two games after recording 16 takeaways all of last season.
The bigger shift is discipline: instead of self-inflicted mistakes that long defined the franchise, the Raiders capitalized while the Chargers unraveled and fell to 0-2.
October’s tougher schedule could test the start, but the Raiders already look more structurally sound than at any point in recent seasons—even before No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza takes over.