Raiders Keep Level Heads After 2-0 Start Under Kubiak

Las Vegas has doubled-digit wins over Miami and the Chargers, but players and coaches say the locker room mindset has stayed the same since April.

Two games into the Klint Kubiak era, the Las Vegas Raiders are unbeaten, having beaten the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers by double digits. That marks a sharp turnaround for a franchise that won only three games in 2025 and held the first overall pick, which it used on Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

An aggressive offseason by general manager John Spytek brought in linebacker Nakobe Dean and edge rusher Kwity Paye, who have contributed to a rebuilt defense. At quarterback, veteran Kirk Cousins has held the starting job while Mendoza develops at his own pace.

Despite the hot start, Kubiak said the atmosphere around the team has not shifted since players first reported in early April, describing the group as eager to improve and crediting the players for maintaining that approach. He has previously framed the schedule as 17 separate one-game seasons, and that thinking has spread through the building, with Wednesday's practice treated as routine even after cornerback Hezekiah Masses earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week in his first career start.

Cousins said his own philosophy is to prepare the same way each week no matter the result, trusting a consistent routine rather than reacting to the previous Sunday. The Raiders have done all of this without All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, who sat out the first two weeks recovering from a meniscus trim but adds another dimension to the offense once he returns.

Las Vegas plays its first true road game of the year Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, with a chance to match its entire 2025 win total before the end of September.