There’s not much time for celebration during the NFL season, even for the league’s most surprising 3-0 team.
As coach Klint Kubiak put it after Sunday’s 35-27 upset victory over the Saints in New Orleans, the Las Vegas Raiders aren’t accepting anyone’s flowers.
Especially knowing what’s on tap.
The Raiders begin a treacherous three-game stretch with a first-place showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
Kubiak isn’t worried about getting his team’s attention now that the football world is finally talking about them in a positive way.
“That’s our job as coaches, to get them dialed in,” he said at his Monday news conference at the team facility. “The thing about our team is we have a mature team that’s very goal-oriented and has some strong leadership. They’re not satisfied with what’s been done for three games. They know it’s a long season and in order for us to be successful, we have to get better every day with great practices and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to prepare for the game.
“They are all important. Every game. Every week, you just focus on that one opponent and when it’s a division opponent, you know there’s even more on the line.”
Especially this week when they are not only playing for the outright division lead, but are part of the only matchup of 3-0 teams on the NFL slate.
A lot of new eyeballs will be on this team, which means more pressure and scrutiny, but also more accolades. Kubiak believes his team will handle it well.
He learned a lot about them on Sunday when they fell behind 27-16 only to score 19 unanswered points by forcing four straight turnovers to close out the game.
“I think the number one thing (I have learned) is you don’t really get to find out about somebody until the chips are down and their backs are against the wall,” he said. “Our backs were against the wall (Sunday), down two scores. We got to find out a lot about the guys’ resilience and toughness because everybody is fine if you’re up two scores. But what do you do if you’re down two scores?”
The answer was to fight.
It’s exactly what Kubiak wanted to see out of his team, which leads the league in both takeaways (9) and turnover differential (+5).
Those type of numbers usually aren’t sustainable over the course of a season, but it has been the identity of this team early on and a major catalyst for its record.
“We don’t win the game without those four turnovers in the fourth quarter,” Kubiak said. “That was impressive how they kept getting the ball back for us. It changed the whole game. A big part of winning and losing is protecting the ball and taking it away. So three games into it, long season to go and every week is a new challenge.
“We’re starting from scratch now against Kansas City.”
The Chiefs will be the first team they have played with either a winning record or positive turnover differential.
Here are some other takeaways from Kubiak’s news conference:
Injury updates
Kubiak confirmed what he had first revealed after Sunday’s game. Wide receiver Jack Bech will be “out for a little bit.”
No final roster decision has been made, but it is possible he hits injured reserve and Cody White is signed from the practice squad.
“He got blown up,” Kubiak said of the injury. “Kirk (Cousins) was throwing the ball away, and the guy hit him in the forearm, so lucky that it wasn’t a concussion. But he’ll be back. We’ll get him back.”
The Raiders did sign wide receiver Tyler Scott from the practice squad, releasing wide receiver Ronnie Bell to clear the spot.
Scott, a former fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears, spent two weeks with Kubiak in Seattle last year and was released by the Los Angeles Rams after training camp.
Kubiak said he expects safety Treydan Stukes to return from concussion protocol this week and believes quarterback Aidan O’Connell will return to the team. He has been out mourning the death of his father.
He was still awaiting an update on guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who left the game with a sore groin. Running back Ashton Jeanty hurt his ankle, but appeared to be OK.
“All the guys are sore,” Kubiak said. “Nobody is 100 percent. That’s part of the NFL. You have to play through it, and Ashton has done a great job of playing through it.”
Managing Maxx
The Raiders continue to find ways to get Maxx Crosby rest during games.
He was on the sideline for 10 of the 74 defensive snaps on Sunday, a big change from someone who used to refuse to come off the field.
It’s a strategy designed to keep him fresh for late in games and throughout the full season and Kubiak credited Crosby for embracing the plan.
“He knows winning is the end goal,” Kubiak said. “Winning the long game of being available for the whole season and Maxx is about winning, so he understands that.”
Earning more touches?
Mike Washington sparked a mostly stagnant run game with a big 36-yard touchdown run on Sunday to get the Raiders back within one score late in the third quarter.
He played just 11 snaps, but got 54 yards on his five carries
“He made a big impact on the game,” Kubiak said. “Definitely earned more opportunities.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
