Hondo’s Weekly Raiders Report Card No. 2: Didn’t See This Coming!

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) find themselves in a very unique space after starting the season with two straight double-digit wins and heading to the Bayou to take on the New Orleans Saints (1-1) this weekend.

As I prepared our regular Tuesday report card column, one thing in the film caught my attention that I didn’t see coming at the start of the season. Let’s dig in.

Offense: A

The Raiders offense again went over our 21+ threshold, scoring 24, with the defense contributing two when Maxx Crosby was accosted in the end zone.

Kirk Cousins was 19/29 with five drops. Once again, he had three touchdowns, and the interception wasn’t his or his receiver's fault, as it was a timing route in which the ball was out before Tre Tucker made his cut, and he tripped and fell when making that cut.

The Raiders had a perfect balance of 29 passes and 29 rushes, and Cousins' QB rating of 113 was off the charts.

In Week 1, the Raiders ran all over the Dolphins. The Bolts saw that and took the effectiveness away from the Raiders this week.

That doesn’t change the fact that the Silver and Black needed to stick with the run to keep Los Angeles from taking defenders off the line of scrimmage to defend the pass.

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Cody White (82) scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Klint Kubiak made Jim Harbaugh pick his poison, and Kirk Cousins delivered it.

Kubiak addressed the team’s offensive approach to winning differently than in Week 1.

“There's a lot of ways to win a game. 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."

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs the ball against Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart (93) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Defense: A

It was a very impressive performance for Robbie Leonard’s Bad Boys. The Georgia Bulldog connection of ILBs Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean each garnered 10 tackles, prompting one NFL executive to tell me of the playoff Dean, “Going back to college even, he is playing his best ball. He is (expletive) flying all over the field.”

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Hezekiah Masses (35) and Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) react after a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kubiak said of Dean when I asked him about his play, "Yeah, I think it starts just with his leadership. He gets everybody lined up, everybody on the same page, and he leads with production. He's always around the ball. Obviously, you have the key forced fumble in that game. He's been a leader for our defense."

The Raiders' defense owned the Chargers and kept them in a constant state of discomfort, thus allowing Leonard to call and do what he wanted.

Kubiak spoke specifically of his defense's success: "Well, I think it starts with Maxx [Crosby]. Maxx demands a lot of attention, the way that he plays and the production that he has. Just really pleased by the way that Robbie's got the group playing, how Travis [Smith] is coaching the defensive line, how demanding Ronnell [Williams] is, how great a teacher that Joe Woods and Matt [Robinson] are."

"Just our coaching staff is doing a good job putting the guys in positions to be successful. And it's two games with 15 regular season games left to go. So, by no means do we think we've arrived or we've accomplished anything. And we just got to keep working and getting better."

Special Teams: A

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders kicker Matt Gay (14) watches his kick against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis again turned in a master level class in direction. This special-teams savant made critical alignment adjustments to counter some Chargers scheming, and when Matt Gay nailed his 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half, you could literally feel the breath leave the Chargers, with one half left.

Coaching: A

Sep 20, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak looks on against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was a rookie mistake that stood out on what appeared to be a fumble by Justin Herbert that the Raiders didn’t catch in time to throw the challenge flag. Head coaches have a complete operational plan where someone upstairs notifies them to throw the flag. We saw that when Antonio Pierce was head coach, too. First-year head coaches often make that mistake.

Kubiak was very aware that the mistake was made, but, true to his character, he was unwilling to throw anyone on his staff under the bus when asked about it.

"Yeah, it's something that we're discussing how that all went down and what we could have done better, could have done differently, but we made the decision that we made not to throw the flag."

The logical question you might have then is: “With that mistake, how can coaching get an A grade?”

That would be fair, and the answer is yes, he earned it. Let me explain.

Tied at seven, as the underdog, on the road, Kubiak had the ball at his own 16-yard line. He didn’t take a knee with only 35 seconds; he went aggressive.

The Raiders marched down the field, and Gay made his aforementioned 60-yard field goal.

His aggression on fourth down and his discipline in sticking to his game plan are just a few examples of how he and his relatively young staff (Kubiak and both his offensive and defensive coordinators are in their first years in those positions) outcoached and embarrassed the far more experienced Chargers.

Rookies, players, coaches, and even those in management will make rookie mistakes, just like first-time moms and dads. I will take learning mistakes like that; despite them, he embarrassed a well-respected staff, and even though Kubiak wasn’t on the field, he won that game.

Years ago, I spent some significant time with legendary college football icon Bobby Bowden. We talked about greatness. I shared something Earvin “Magic” Johnson once told me when we discussed what separates great players. Earvin’s words still ring true today.

“Great players are simply good players, that make everyone else on their team better.” Bowden loved that quote and told me what separated good coaches from great coaches.

Per Bowden, “A great coach can take his guys and whip yours. But everybody in the stadium knows that if he had coached your team, and you had his, the outcome would have been different, and he’d a won that game too.”

On paper, the Chargers' coaching staff on Sunday was far more experienced and, judging purely by their resumes, better.

There was no doubt that if Kubiak and his staff had coached the Chargers, they would have won. Kubiak was a great coach on Sunday, and Harbaugh was a good coach.

I first met the Harbhaughs in 1987 and have immense respect for the entire family. Coach (Jack), John, and Jimmy have outstanding coaching acumen.

Earvin Magin Johnson — March 26, 1979; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; FILE PHOTO; Michigan State Spartans guard Earvin Johnson (33) later known as Magic Johnson with the ball against the Indiana State Sycamores at the NCAA Championship game at the 1979 Final Four at the Huntsman Center. Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75-64. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I respect, admire, and think Kubiak will be an elite coach.

But, in his second game, for him to go into SoFi and embarrass Harbaugh and put on a clear great coaching performance, I didn’t say that was coming.

Harbaugh is a good coach. On Sunday, everything you needed to know about Kubiak showed. He was great.

Sep 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts after a play against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Raider Nation: A+

In my estimation, Raiders fans made up 75% of the SoFi crowd. In Los Angeles, the Raiders always have home-field advantage, but that was ridiculous. Even during Jim Harbaugh’s post-game presser, Raiders fans and their familiar chants of “RRRRAAAAAIIIIDDDDEEEERRRSSS” echoed into the room.

They drew Chargers penalties because they were so loud and owned the stadium.

Las Vegas Raiders Fans — Sep 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders fan Andy Coronado (left) reacts during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kubiak is one of the most sincere and honest people you will ever meet. When he says things, he means them. His praise and respect for the fans were heartfelt when he talked about it on Monday.

“Yeah, they really gave us a jolt the whole game from the moment they came out of the tunnel all the way through the fourth quarter. It was special to see our fans out there yesterday. You know, it's something going into the game that I was aware of, but when you experience it and feel it live, it just gave our team the extra motion that we needed.”

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