Raiders erase 11-point deficit, beat Saints 35-27 as Bowers returns

The Saints led by 11 late in the third quarter, but the Raiders scored the game's final 19 points to win 35-27 in New Orleans on Sunday. Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, including fourth-quarter scores to Cody White and Brock Bowers, and Las Vegas improved to 3-0 under first-year coach Klint Kubiak. ESPN's final play log shows New Orleans last scoring with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

Tyler Shough had just found Noah Fant for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 27-16. Mike Washington Jr. supplied the first answer, breaking a 36-yard run to cut the margin to five after an unsuccessful two-point try. ESPN's game-specific clip identifies the run and the review. Washington finished with 54 yards on five carries; his long gain provided most of that production at the moment Las Vegas needed a quick score.

The next major turn came on Malcolm Koonce's hit on Shough. The quarterback was beginning his throwing motion when the ball came loose. Officials ruled it a backward fumble, awarded the Raiders possession at the New Orleans 45 and upheld the call after video review. Six plays later, Cousins hit White from four yards to put Las Vegas ahead 28-27 with 9:21 remaining. The ESPN event report describes the review and the Saints crowd's reaction. The ruling matters to the sequence; the available evidence does not establish that the call was incorrect.

The Raiders then added a four-yard Cousins pass to Bowers for a 35-27 lead with 6:22 left. Bowers had missed the first two games with a knee injury, according to the Raiders' September 23 team report. In his return he caught 10 of 13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown, the strongest receiving line on either team. Cousins completed 22 of 33 passes for 248 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His other scoring pass went to Michael Mayer before halftime.

The NFL posted the Bowers touchdown from this game Sunday evening.

New Orleans had chances to tie after Bowers' score. One possession ended on fourth down, and Juwan Johnson lost a fumble with 1:02 left on the next. Shough finished 29 of 42 for 255 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes, two each to Johnson and Fant, but also threw an interception and lost the disputed fumble. Chris Olave caught nine passes for 107 yards. The ESPN box score confirms those totals and the final 35-27 score.

The Raiders have now won three straight to open 2026; the Saints are 1-2 after losing their home opener. New Orleans built a two-score lead with two third-quarter touchdown passes, then went scoreless through the final 20 minutes. Las Vegas used Washington's burst to make the deficit manageable, turned the reviewed fumble into the lead and finished with a Bowers touchdown on his first appearance of the season.