The Las Vegas Raiders pulled off a comeback victory on Sunday to move to 3-0 in the early portion of the 2026 NFL season. New head coach Klint Kubiak has surprised the professional football world by having this new-look Raiders team ready to go.
In this week’s deep dive into the advanced stats that stood out in the previous game, we will look at what exactly helped the Silver and Black pull off the win. Las Vegas remains an efficient team overall, and hey continue to shine in executing on offense and defense.
Malcolm Koonce is the real story of this week, though.
Raiders' Malcolm Koonce stands out in advanced stats from Week 3
Raiders continue to cause Havoc
On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders lead the league in takeaways with nine. They also lead the league in pressure rate and fumble recoveries. This is why the Raiders are second in havoc rate after three weeks of the campaign.
Rob Leonard has this defense flying around and making plays on the football, at long last. They caused four turnovers just in the fourth quarter alone, helping the Raiders secure a victory. Leonard starts to dial up the exotic looks late in the games to help create huge plays for the defense.
Kirk Cousins shines against the blitz
Kirk Cousins' play has surprised everyone, except perhaps his teammates and the coaching staff or those in the building. He has nine touchdowns this season, three in each week, which ties for the league lead with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Where Cousins shined in Week 3 was against the blitz. Cousins was blitzed on 12 of his dropbacks against the Saints, and he went 9-for-12 for 86 yards and two touchdowns on those plays. He stayed strong in the pocket even when Ashton Jeanty or others struggled to make blocks in front of him.
With the Kansas City Chiefs coming into town, it becomes even more vital for Cousins to play well against the extra rushers that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will bring. Hopefully, Cousins continues to excel in this area of the game.
Malcolm Koonce is winning big on the edge
The New Orleans Saints being without left tackle Kelvin Banks was supposed to be an advantage for the Raiders heading into the game. Edge rusher Malcolm Koonce made sure of that with a breakout game that reminded fans of 2023.
Koonce had a 19% win rate on Sunday to pair with six pressures. These numbers were even better in true pass sets, as Koonce had a 30% win rate in them on Sunday, which shows his dominance. He did this on only 21 pass-rushing snaps, so he was making the most of his opportunities.
If Koonce can keep winning on the opposite side of Crosby, it will help free up their superstar pass rusher. It is starting to look like 2023 all over again.
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