Raiders 35, Saints 27: Bowers Returns, New Orleans Gives It Away

September 27, 2026 - New Orleans - Tyler Shough had four touchdown passes. The Saints led by 11 in the third. Their last five drives were a punt, a fumble, an interception, a fumble, and another fumble. That is how you lose a home opener you thought you had.

The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New Orleans Saints 35-27 at the Caesars Superdome. Las Vegas is 3-0 for the first time since 2021. New Orleans is 1-2. Kirk Cousins threw three scores. Brock Bowers played his first game of 2026 after a knee injury and caught 10 for 116 and a touchdown.

Shough went 29 of 42 for 255 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Chris Olave caught nine for 107. It was not enough once the fourth quarter turned into takeaways.

16-13 at the half, then 27-16 in a blink

Matt Gay opened it from 41 after Chase Young sacked Cousins. Shough scrambled 36 yards and hit Juwan Johnson from 2. Thomas Booker IV blocked Daniel Carlson's extra point. 6-3 Saints.

Gay tied it from 37. Cousins found Michael Mayer from 3, Mayer reaching over Justin Reid. Noah Fant answered from 3. Gay's third field goal, from the goal line, put Las Vegas up 16-13 at the half.

The third quarter was New Orleans in a hurry. Johnson scored again. Dylan Laube fumbled the kickoff. Two plays later Fant caught a 16-yarder. Shough had four passing touchdowns. 27-16 Saints.

Mike Washington Jr. ripped a 36-yard run, his first NFL score, 19.76 mph on Next Gen Stats, per the Raiders. Malcolm Koonce stripped Shough. Maxx Crosby recovered. Cousins hit Cody White. The two-point try failed. Las Vegas led 28-27.

Four takeaways, eight-point lead

Hezekiah Masses intercepted Shough and returned it to the goal line. Cousins threw to Bowers from 4 on third down. 35-27. Jeremy Chinn strip-sacked Shough on fourth down. Nakobe Dean forced another fumble. The Saints' box, per the club recap, listed those last five possessions as punt, fumble, interception, fumble, fumble.

Ashton Jeanty ran 19 times for 56 and caught three for 37. Washington added five carries for 54 and the long score. Alvin Kamara had nine rushes for 36. Travis Etienne ran 13 for 57. Young finished with two sacks, a forced fumble, and the kind of individual line that still dies in a loss.

The Saints recap said one of the Shough strips looked like the play that had been ruled incomplete against Detroit in Week 1. This time it stood, and Las Vegas scored after it. Nakobe Dean finished with 11 solo tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed, and a forced fumble. Chinn had a sack, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble. The Raiders host Kansas City next, 3-0 against 3-0 in the AFC West. New Orleans hosts Atlanta on Monday night.

AthX Engine on a four-turnover fourth

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 3 lines in. Young's two sacks land at 70.00, the top total in this game on the DL card. Dean is 51.50. Bowers is 50.00. Masses is 48.00. Shough is 47.40. Koonce is 46.00. Cousins is 38.59. Las Vegas's team line is 81.75.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Bowers's debut and for a Saints quarterback who threw four scores and still handed the game away. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Bowers, Jeanty, Crosby, Young, and both clubs on the marketplace. Kansas City visits Las Vegas on Oct. 4. Atlanta visits New Orleans on Oct. 5.

*Sources: Raiders.com, Saints.com, ESPN Week 3 scoreboard. AthX Engine Week 3 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*