NFL Insider Break's Down The Raiders Impressive Start

The Raiders are for real.

This is going to be the most fun season since the franchise moved to Las Vegas, by far, and the future is brighter than it’s been in a long, long time. There are no moral victories in the NFL, and the reality is their loss to the Chiefs on Sunday could end up being the difference between making the playoffs and missing them, but the fact that anyone in the NFL is even thinking that way in October about the Raiders tells you everything you need to know.

"I love the way the Raiders are playing," said one NFL personnel executive who has watched their film this season. "They have to add talent on defense, but that offense with (quarterback Kirk) Cousins is a lot of fun. Nobody is getting more out of the tight ends …

"I buy the coach (Klint Kubiak). I buy the offense. They are going to score a lot of points as long as Cousins is healthy. That’s the second team in the AFC West. The Broncos have problems on offense; they can’t get an early script going (on offense). The defense has slipped. The Chargers are already (screwed). They’re the second team. They’re going to be in the thick of this thing."

Heady times for Raider Nation.

Others have echoed this sentiment to us. Kubiak, who worked with Cousins in Minnesota, has the play-action passing game tuned up, the return of Brock Bowers have taken the downfield passing attack to another level, and if not for two major special teams gaffes – a fake punt early in the game that changed momentum and helped the Chiefs score, and a fumble on a kick return that handed Kansas City incredible field position late – the Raiders would be undefeated and atop the AFC seeding.

As it stands, a defense that still has some serious issues (allowing 5.2 yards/carry, 30th in the redzone) and gives up too many explosive plays, broke entirely when do-everything defensive end Maxx Crosby took a rare respite on the sidelines. But they are also generating more heat on opposing quarterbacks than has been the norm (5th in sack rate), and there will be lessons that need to be learned from a game the Raiders gave away to a Chiefs quasi-dynasty that knows how to capitalize more than most.

The offense needs to maintain its explosive pace, and it very well could. Cousins is in the top 10 in passing yards and is tied for the NFL lead with 11 touchdown passes, and Bowers is still working into peak form after requiring a minor procedure just before the season. It stands to reason with their top target back, the scope of the offense will only expand, and few sell play action better than Cousins.

"That system is predicated on the play-action shots," said one advance scout. "Cousins is one of the best at selling the run and delivering it on time downfield. (49ers coach Kyle) Shanahan drilled it into him in Washington (early in his career), and he’s really mastered it."

Only two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has a higher passer rating than Cousins this season on play-action passes (141.5 for Cousins), and Cousins leads the NFL with six touchdown passes on play action with six … and none to Bowers yet, which we know won’t be for much longer. Bowers already has 16 catches for 202 yards and two touchdowns in just two games.

If they can hang around .500 through Thanksgiving, with a very tough stretch of games the next six weeks, there will be real reason to believe the playoffs are possible, assuming relative health. If not, the eventual move to first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback would provide its own intrigue and entertainment value. But that feels like possibly a story for another season.

"They’ll go as far as Cousins can take them," one GM told me. "That’s the perfect system for him."