The Raiders Are 2-0 Without Their Best Player — That's the Story, and the Warning

Two weeks into the 2026 season, the Las Vegas Raiders are undefeated. Not since 2021 had this franchise opened with back-to-back wins, and they've done it against a Miami team that finished Week 1 at 0-1 and a Los Angeles Chargers squad that plenty of people picked to win the AFC West.

They've done it without Brock Bowers, too.

The star tight end needed a meniscus trim on Sept. 8 and has yet to take a regular-season snap. He was listed doubtful for Week 2 after returning to practice in a limited capacity. In his place, Michael Mayer has quietly become the chain-mover: nine catches on 11 targets for 55 yards through two games. That's not Bowers-level production, but it's functional — and "functional" is the entire identity of this team right now.

Kirk Cousins Is Doing Exactly What He Was Signed to Do

Cousins has thrown for 413 yards on 59 attempts — just 206.5 per game, which won't lead any highlight reels. But he's completed 67.8 percent of his throws with six touchdowns against three interceptions and a 100.5 passer rating. He threw three scores in the 27-13 Week 1 win over Miami and three more in the 26-14 road win at SoFi Stadium.

That is the trade the Raiders accepted when they named him the starter over No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Modest volume, efficient scoring, and a willingness to hand the ball off 37 times a game. Mendoza, notably, is the first top overall pick since Baker Mayfield in 2018 not to start Week 1 — and as long as Cousins keeps stacking wins, there's no reason to revisit that decision.

The Defense Is the Real Engine

Las Vegas is allowing 13.5 points per game, which sits tenth in the league. More striking: the Raiders have racked up eight sacks, tied for the most in the NFL with Cincinnati and Minnesota. A unit that generated five sacks and multiple takeaways in the opener followed it up by holding a Chargers offense featuring Justin Herbert to 14 points.

That pass rush is the reason the Raiders were live in Los Angeles all week. The market opened the Chargers as 7.5-point favorites and bet that down to 6.5 — a meaningful move away from the home team, and one that proved prescient.

The Warning Signs Are Real

Here's the uncomfortable part. Las Vegas is 2-0 with a negative yardage differential (about minus-6.5 per game) and a turnover margin of minus-0.5. The Raiders beat the Chargers by 12 while being outgained. Their 93.5 rushing yards per contest is a far cry from the 186 the Chiefs are averaging.

Ashton Jeanty is the case study. He ran 21 times for 48 yards in Week 2 — 2.3 per carry — after opening with 102 yards at 4.4 a pop, and he needed a trip to the medical tent in the second half before returning. He's still without a rushing touchdown on 44 attempts. If the run game stalls and Cousins is forced into volume, the math gets harder fast.

What's Next

The Raiders travel to New Orleans in Week 3 to face a 1-1 Saints team averaging 27 points per game. The line sits around Saints -3 with a total near 44.5 — a market that's essentially saying these teams are close to even on a neutral field, and that home-field advantage is the difference.

Meanwhile, Kansas City is also 2-0 and averaging 32 points and 469 yards per game, which is the bar in the AFC West. The Raiders don't need to match that offense. They need Cousins to protect the ball, Jeanty to find his Week 1 form, and Maxx Crosby's front to keep hunting quarterbacks.

Two wins is a real foundation. Whether it's a floor or a ceiling depends on whether the rushing attack and the tight end room stabilize.