Raiders 2-0 start has Raider Nation believing again

Image | Source: Dice City Sports,” YouTube user @JoshuaChild84 wrote, drawing more than 500 likes.

“We have a coach”

That sentiment showed up again and again.

“That’s our coach,” one fan wrote, while another said, “Finally feels like we’re moving in the right direction.”

The excitement is not just about the record. Fans are reacting to how the Raiders are winning.

Los Angeles held Ashton Jeanty to 48 yards on 21 carries, so Las Vegas adjusted. Kirk Cousins threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns, Tre Tucker finished with 119 receiving yards and Cody White turned his only two catches into touchdowns.

The defense forced three turnovers.

“I just see this team firing and making plays,” @dgroves85 wrote. “Taking advantage of opportunities that in previous years were missed.”

That comment gets at why the start feels different. The Raiders struggled to run the ball, failed at the goal line and committed six penalties, but those mistakes never swallowed the entire game.

They found answers instead.

Raider Nation had one correction

Then there was SoFi Stadium.

Silver and black filled the building, and Klint Kubiak was still talking Monday about the energy Raiders fans brought from the tunnel through the fourth quarter.

Raiders fans appreciated the compliment. They also had one correction.

“We didn’t travel! LA is a RAIDER CITY,” @BrennenRourke wrote.

Another fan put it even more simply: “Not traveling, already live here!”

That reaction says plenty about the franchise’s lasting connection to Southern California. One fan who attended called it the “time of my life,” while another thanked the team for making Sunday memorable.

The feeling extended beyond SoFi, too. One supporter spent the day at an amusement park checking the score and smiling, while another offered the perfect Monday-after review: “went to work happy today any day the raiders win.”

Fans are watching the details

This was not blind celebration.

Fans noticed Nakobe Dean after his 10-tackle performance and forced fumble.

“Nakobe Dean is really good at football,” one comment read.

They noticed Cousins standing in against pressure. They noticed White becoming an unlikely two-touchdown hero.

“Bro who the hell is Cody white?? Dude was clutch,” @kcrnks wrote.

They also noticed the flaws. Some questioned the direct snap to Jeanty near the goal line, while others worried about the run defense after Los Angeles rushed for 127 yards.

That makes the optimism more believable. Fans do not think the Raiders are finished products, but they like watching this team solve problems instead of getting buried by them.

Hope, with scar tissue

The best comments came from fans who sounded excited and nervous about being excited.

“Long way to go but again, very encouraging,” @jackjax532 wrote. “It should be fun watching this Raiders’ team come together.”

Another longtime fan said it would take a few more wins to wash away the taste of the last 20 years. One wrote, “after years of hurt… Imma soak this in.”

Another simply admitted, “Man the raiders are making me believe again.”

That is probably where Raider Nation is right now. Nobody sensible is planning a parade, but fans are allowing themselves to enjoy the possibility that this team might be building something worth believing in.

One father wrote that his almost 2-year-old daughter wore silver and black for the first time Sunday. The Raiders won, so he joked that the shirt might now become mandatory game-day attire until she outgrows it.

Two games prove very little.

But making Raider Nation excited about Sundays again already feels significant.