How Raiders' Solid Offseason Sparked Unexpected Undefeated Start

Following their season-ending win to cap off the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Raiders took a hard look in the mirror. The Raiders entered the offseason with more open cap space to spend than any other team in the league and 10 draft picks in their back pocket.

Yet, after years of ill-advised coaching and roster moves, the Raiders went to work this offseason to address both. Three games into the season, it looks like Las Vegas' front office struck gold on the majority of those offseason additions.

First-year head coach Klint Kubiak was arguably the best coaching hire of the offseason. In just one offseason and through the first quarter of the regular season, Kubiak has proven the importance of coaching. Las Vegas not only looks like a competent team, but also one of the league's best.

Three games are far too few to make any assumptions, but the three games the Raiders have won are more than enough to confirm they have vastly improved. Offensively, Las Vegas has found ways to capitalize on the defense's hard work, scoring timely points and limiting turnovers.

New-Look Raiders

Las Vegas is riding the wave of complementary football to help secure games that come down to the wire. Las Vegas' Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints proved that under Kubiak, the Raiders can win in multiple ways and are ready to pull until the final whistle.

Under Kubiak, the Raiders are a team that will rarely beat itself. They are far from perfect, but for the first time in a long time, Las Vegas has enough talent on its roster and coaching staff to overcome most mistakes in every game.

Through the season's first three games, Las Vegas has had enough talent on its roster and coaching staff to overcome all of its mistakes. That is what has made their 3-0 start so unique and so unexpected. In addition to the play on the field, the ball is finally bouncing the Raiders' way.

This offseason, general manager John Spytyek and the Raiders' front office added talent to nearly every position group on the roster, and it shows. The talent gap between the Raiders and their opponents has been one of the most glaring issues in recent seasons.

The Raiders' rebuild is just beginning, but the aforementioned talent gap has closed considerably. Las Vegas still has issues: the roster lacks depth at key positions, and the team is still gelling across the board, especially on offense. Yet the progress made in a short time is undeniable.

Las Vegas has used a stout defense to help generate points on the offensive side of the ball. In each of their first three games, the Raiders took the best punch their opponent had, brushed it off, and kept coming. They have shown a mentality that simply wasn't there under previous regimes.

No Time To Celebrate

Las Vegas' hot start to the season has its potential downsides. After winning three games last season and seven games over the past two seasons combined, the Raiders will have to do their best not to succumb to human nature. Plenty of work remains.

The good news for Kubiak and his staff is that, realistically, there should be little concern that his team will let their unexpected start disturb their focus. Las Vegas is heading into a tough stretch of games that will bring difficulties and remind them how far they still have to go.

The Raiders will face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday at home. They will then face the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams in consecutive weeks. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic about where the Raiders currently stand.

However, the next four games will confirm just what the 2026 Raiders will be and how far they are, or are not, from being one of the best teams in the league this season. Their 3-0 start is a solid buffer heading into a tough stretch, but the next month will be telling, to say the least.

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