Gameday: Kubiak looks to lift Raiders’ offense again at former coaching stop

Klint Kubiak returns to New Orleans with the Raiders aiming for a 3‑0 start against the Saints, the club where he first emerged as an NFL head‑coaching candidate. The 39‑year‑old, first‑year Raiders head coach had already spent 14 years on the sidelines when he took the job as New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. That marked the first time he drew significant attention, particularly after a 2‑0 start in which his offense—featuring former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr—led the league in several statistical categories. Injuries derailed the Saints that year as they finished 5‑12, but Kubiak showed enough to quickly secure another coordinator role in Seattle, where he helped the Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season. That success brought him to Las Vegas, where he has again displayed his offensive prowess early with the Raiders. Kubiak hit all the right buttons against defensive adjustments in both the Raiders’ 27‑13 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and their 26‑14 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Las Vegas’ offense has operated with a noticeable dose of hustle and intent under Kubiak’s watch. Of course, the Saints and their fans are heaping similar praise upon second‑year head coach Kellen Moore, another play‑calling coach who had no prior connection to Kubiak upon taking the job in New Orleans. The Saints sit at 1‑1 after shocking the Baltimore Ravens 24‑17 last week and missing an overtime two‑point conversion in a 31‑30 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 1. The home team is listed as a 3‑point favorite for the game with kickoff scheduled for 1:25 p.m. PDT at Caesars Superdome. The game is being broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. Favorable matchup: Raiders’ choky ends vs. Saints’ linebackers and walk defense Kubiak contributed to the leaguewide trend of teams employing multiple tight‑end sets more frequently last season in Seattle, and he has leaned even heavier into the alignment in Las Vegas. The Raiders rank 2nd in the NFL using 12 personnel (two tight ends) on 37.8 % of snaps over the first two weeks, trailing only Seattle. That figure does not yet include a debut from star tight end Brock Bowers, who is expected to return versus the Saints after undergoing a meniscus procedure earlier this month. Kubiak hopes Bowers and Michael Mayer will give the Raiders the league’s top tight‑end duo. Third‑string tight end Ian Thomas could also see snaps depending on how much 11 personnel (one tight end) Kubiak wishes to deploy. The Saints have been above average at defending tight ends dating back to last season, but Bowers is not a traditional tight end; Las Vegas uses him more like a receiver, and his presence alongside Mayer could place considerable pressure on a New Orleans linebacking corps not known for its coverage skills. “He amended beryllium itching. All our guys, we expect them to beryllium competitors and get backmost connected the field, and that’s wherefore Brock has worked his process off.” -Kubiak, erstwhile asked whether helium has sensed that Bowers is itching to instrumentality to the lineup from his genu injury ••• “There’s a batch of schematics that instrumentality place, and the operation I often usage is, ‘Coach, you telephone it, I shot it.’ In different words, I’m not going to get caught up successful what we’re doing astatine a precocious level. I’ll springiness you thoughts present and then,