The Las Vegas Raiders are doing some impressive things offensively, and it's all about their new coach.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a real offense this season, and it’s not hard to understand why. The stumbling, bumbling outfit that took the field last season has been replaced by a functional unit that can score points and occasionally make plays.
It’s not a finished product yet by any means, but new coach Klint Kubiak has definitely worked some magic with the offense, and Ryan McFadden of ESPN took a deeper dive into how he’s doing it.
Kubiak was the best playcaller on the market in this season’s coaching hiring cycle, and the Raiders had to wait until after the Super Bowl to land him.
The before and after numbers are stunning. Per McFadden, the Raiders averaged 14.2 points per game last year, and this year that number is up to 29.3, which is currently tied for seventh in the NFL.
What makes this even more remarkable is that those initial numbers happened with the Raideres best (only?) playmaker, tight end Brock Bowers, out after knee surgery. Instead, it’s been quarterback Kirk Cousins using his familiarity with Kubiak’s approach to command the offense and give the Raiders chances to win.
The game changes against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, however. Both teams come in at 3-0, and the Chiefs are back on track to win the AFC West after struggling through a 6-11 season last year.
Former NFL tight end Ian Thomas described Kubiak as “aggressive,” but he also knows when to pull back. No one knows which approach he’ll take against Kansas City, as the overall talent gap between these two teams is noticeable.
McFadden also offered more numbers. In 2025, Las Vegas ranked last in total yards per game at 245.2, 30th in yards per play at 4.4, 31st in offensive efficiency at 20.72, 26th in red-zone efficiency at 50 percent, 28th in third-down conversion rate at 33.8 percent and 31st in EPA at -124.11.
The sample size is still small, but the differences are stark. So far in 2026, Las Vegas is 17th in total yards per game at 322.5, 13th in yards per play at 5.2, 10th in offensive efficiency at 55.58, 17th in red zone efficiency at 55.6 percent, tied for 14th in third-down conversion rate at 42.3 percent and 14th in EPA at 2.78.
Kubiak is doing this with virtually no wide receivers and a running game that’s struggled the last two weeks after being impressive in the team’s opener. Beating bad teams is a hallmark of teams that want to contend for the playoffs, and the Raiders are starting to look like just that.
