Raiders vs. Saints: Winners & Losers From New Orleans

Raider Nation

Raider fans didn’t own the Superdome as they did at SoFi last week, but they still made it loud for the Silver and Black. Riding down the elevator from the press box at the end of the game, one other Raiders reporter and I listened to the assembled press corps covering the Saints rave about how loud they were. They had a major impact. Something QB Kirk Cousins couldn’t, and wouldn’t, ignore.

“It’s a privilege to play for an organization with the kind of history that we have. I wasn’t say I was on the fence about signing with the Raiders, but I was excited. When I saw that Autumn Wind video with the history and the music on, it kind of pushed me over the edge.”

Cousins continued his praise, “There aren’t many organizations in this league with that history and tradition and iconic names. To play for one is a privilege. It’s good to be a part of that history. It was fun to see the Raider Nation. My son goes to school and he hears Raiders. They love it and are all in. It’s been fun.”

The Defense

Despite nonsensical Tweets from fans proclaiming DC Rob Leonard's inadequacies, the Raiders kept chopping wood, attacking the Saints despite their terrific game plan to get the ball out quickly and negate the vaunted Silver and Black pass rush, and attacking backup S Isaiah Pola-Mao.

Leonard’s side of the ball got four monster turnovers, and despite being a young, thin defense, they still corralled one of the NFL’s best passing attacks to secure the win.

Was it pretty? Not at all, but Al Davis had a great mantra: “Just Win, Baby,” and not just win pretty or lose pretty. The Raiders just won, and despite giving up 27 points, they were clinical.

Head coach Klint Kubiak praised his defense.

“I just want to give a big shout out to our defense [with] four takeaways in the second half was the catalyst to the game. I am so proud of them and all of the guys fighting to the end.”

“That’s a great job by our players. That’s what they have been doing since April. They believe in each other. They are a tight group. It wasn’t pretty, but they found a way to win. That’s what it takes every week in this league.”

Superstar Nakobe Dean is playing out of his mind, logging 12 tackles last night, and he addressed the defense's resilience and the turnovers. Their four turnovers were a major reason the Raiders left the Crescent City with a win.

“We knew we had to rally back and start playing our type of football. Our style of play is taking the ball away. We have to go every week and see how many takeaways that we can get. We didn’t have any in the first half. So, we had to come back in the second half strong and we did.”

For Maxx Crosby, who continues to play at a very high level, he says the defense is about mentality, and they have the right one.

“It’s a credit to everybody. It starts with Robbie [Leonard]. He trusts us as a group. We emphasize every day in the building about taking the ball away. We continue to do that. I think we had four in the second half. You continue to do that and you have a lot better chance of winning.”

ILB Nakobe Dean

Playing like an All-Pro, the superstar ILB led the team with 12 tackles and made plays from sideline to sideline, up and down the field.

There is no doubt that Maxx Crosby is the soul of this defense, but Dean is quickly becoming the heart of it, and the man who proudly wears the green dot has earned the praise of his normally not loquacious head coach.

“I think that it just starts with the leadership of that position. You’ve got to get everybody on the same page. Then, he is producing on top of it. He’s the heartbeat of our defense. We are counting on him every week. The other guys thrive off of his maturity, number one, and his play style, number two.”

Dean hates to talk about himself, but when his Raiders found themselves down two scores in the second half, he knew what to say.

“Make one play at a time. That’s it. We preach to be 1-0 at the end of the day. It’s like 1-0 each play. Just win the play. Don’t look too far ahead."

DE Maxx Crosby

On a night when the Saints did everything to avoid him, this unquestioned team leader kept battling, chopping wood, knowing that at some point in the game the Saints would fall, and they finally did in the fourth quarter.

He quickly explained the new Raider mentality that has led to a 3-0 start to the young 2026 season.

“We have a lot of work to do. It’s early. It’s September. Everyone in the locker room is playing for each other. It is as simple as that. I think guys enjoy being around each other. I think guys enjoy putting in the work together and finding solutions instead of complaining and looking for an out. Everyone is trying to get on the same page toward one common goal, and I think that has been a big part of why."

The Offense

The Raiders offense didn’t get the yardage they wanted on the ground because the Saints completely sold out to stop it. That didn’t matter in the end; Kubiak quickly adapted and went on the attack behind the arm of his 15-year NFL veteran QB, Kirk Cousins.

It was a terrific performance by every part of the offense, when you understand what was asked, and what the Saints did to stop it.

While many will make this offensive explosion about having TE Brock Bowers back, Kubiak wants everyone to understand this is about the offense as a whole, not just Bowers.

“It’s a team game. Brock played his tail off. Our guys won those first two games when he wasn’t there. In the NFL every week someone is going to be out. There will be more guys out this [upcoming] week. Jack Bech is probably going to be out. As the team finds a way to win, that [is] what good teams do.”

TE Brock Bowers

But don’t think that Kubiak was minimizing Brock Bowers. He is one of the best players in the entire NFL, and Kubiak raved about his performance here on the Bayou.

“Brock has always been a guy that we count on, but to come off of an injury and play the way that he did; it’s very, very impressive. We needed it. We are not surprised by that with Brock. Again, it’s a whole team effort. There’s a lot of guys that did a lot of good things. I am very proud of Brock. I am proud of the offensive line, the running backs, the receivers, the quarterback. It was a team effort.”

QB Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins is the first QB in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns in all three opening games for their team, over the age of 38. Tonight he was sensational: 22/33 for 248 yards, the aforementioned three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He had a phenomenal QB rating of 119 and was the primary reason for the win.

Kubiak, true to form, was verbose in praising his superstar.

“He’s been leading this way since April. I’m not surprised by what he’s doing. He’s leaning on his teammates. He is a leader on our team. Again, it’s three games into the year, [so] we aren’t taking anyone’s flowers. It’s a one game season from here on out every week.”

“He has the experience. He has the maturity. He is making plays.”

Perhaps the only person in the organization quieter than Kubiak is Bowers, and he had high praise for his field general at QB.

“It helps a lot having a very experienced guy back there. He keeps everyone calm. He’s calm, cool and collected. He’s seen a lot and is very smart out there.”

WR Cody White

The young man scored his third touchdown in two weeks on Sunday, and after being elevated to the game-day roster for the third time this week, he will almost surely be elevated to the permanent 53-man roster this week, according to NFL rules.

Kubiak wanted White, got him, and all White has done is reward his boss's faith in him.

Kubiak said of his play tonight, “All he does is produce and work hard. I am very happy for #82, too”

RB Dylan Laube

Loved by the past three coaching regimes (a rarity in the NFL), the third-year player made a critical, inexcusable fumble. Kubiak put him right back out there because he believes in him, but when you are not a superstar, you do not have as much room for mistakes.

Loved by his teammates, Cousins encouraged those struggling to keep fighting.

“All I know is to keep playing. Stuff like that hardens you. I threw a pick at Notre Dame in a game that we had wrapped up. It was terrible interception. I threw a terrible pick to end the season [as a pro], if we would have won then we would have made the playoffs. If you play long enough, then you get some scars. It hurts. You just keep playing.”

Cousins recounted great advice an NFL legend gave him.

“I go back to what Mike Shanahan told me when I was a rookie. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. I have to remind that to myself a lot. Just stay the course, and the tough person is going to be there. We just have to live that every day a little bit.”

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

When the 2024 season ended, many inside the Raiders' executive offices felt like Isaiah Pola-Mao (IPM) was on the brink of stardom. He signed a two-year deal, and in 2025, when the entire organization collapsed, he seemed to disappear. That has continued this year.

The Raiders drafted two rookie S, and he lost his job to start the season to one of them, Treydan Stukes. With Stukes out with an injury today, IPM played and was targeted by the Saints in the passing game.

A wonderful young man; this isn’t about personality; the NFL is about production. He has to step up quickly or end up buried deeper on the depth chart, with Stukes coming back eventually and two other young S in Dalton Johnson (Rookie) and Tristin McCollum (third-year) pushing him for playing time.

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