Kirk Cousins passed for 248 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Las Vegas Raiders stayed unbeaten by charging past the New Orleans Saints 35-27 on Sunday.
Brock Bowers had a standout season debut, returning from a knee injury to catch 10 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown for the surprising Raiders (3-0), who trailed by 11 at one point in the second half.
Tyler Shough passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns, but had two costly second-half turnovers for the Saints (1-2). Chris Olave hauled in nine passes for 107 yards, and Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant caught two touchdowns apiece.
On their first possession of the second half, the Saints drove 87 yards in 12 plays capped by Shough’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Johnson for a 20-16 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dylan Laube fumbled and Jordan Howden recovered for New Orleans at the Las Vegas 32. Two plays later, Shough threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Fant for a 27-16 lead.
Mike Washington Jr. ran 36 yards for a touchdown and Cousins’ two-point conversion pass went incomplete, leaving the Raiders behind 27-22 at the end of the third quarter.
New Orleans was in position to score again until Shough fumbled while being sacked and Maxx Crosby recovered for the Raiders at their 45. That led to Cousins’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Cody White, giving Las Vegas a 28-27 lead after Cousins was sacked on a two-point conversion play.
Three plays later, Shough was intercepted by Hezekiah Masses and the Raiders took over at the Saints’ 4. Cousins’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Bowers pushed the lead to 35-27.
The Raiders drove to the Saints’ 17 on their first possession before Matt Gay kicked a 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Shough threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Johnson, giving the Saints a 6-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, their first lead at the end of the opening period in Kellen Moore’s 20 games as head coach.
Gay kicked a 37-yard field goal to tie the score and Cousins threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer to give Las Vegas a 13-6 lead. Shough’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Fant tied the score, and Gay’s 25-yard field goal gave the Raiders a 16-13 halftime lead.
