Alexis Bass Abby Alonzo interview on the Raiders’ 3-0 start

In the Alexis Bass Abby Alonzo interview, Bass credited the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense and its forced turnovers for a win that kept the team unbeaten. She also explained why Kirk Cousins works well with play-caller Clint Kubiak, what Fernando can learn by waiting behind Cousins, and why she sees the coming game against the Chiefs as the clearest test of the Raiders’ progress.

What did Alexis Bass say about the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense?

Alexis Bass called the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense the highlight of their win. She pointed to the turnovers it forced after going without one in the first half, saying those possessions gave the ball back to the offense. For Bass, winning the turnover battle is a weekly process goal that helps produce the result the team wants.

Rob Leonard’s turnover target

Bass said Raiders players talk about setting a new turnover goal each week. When the defense had none at halftime, she said, Rob Leonard and the staff made clear that it still needed to reach a target. She did not give a number for that target; her point was that the defense had a specific job to pursue even before the final outcome was settled.

She described the turnover battle as a way to be ahead in one part of the game before being ahead at the end of it. In her view, taking the ball away mattered not just as a defensive achievement but because it created another opportunity for the offense.

The defensive pieces Bass noticed

Bass also credited additions made in the offseason, naming Nakobe Dean and the rookies among the pieces she was watching. She noted that other players had stepped up while teammates were injured. That depth impressed her because, as she put it, the Raiders had not previously had a steady defense.

What did Alexis Bass say about Kirk Cousins and Clint Kubiak?

Alexis Bass said Kirk Cousins and Clint Kubiak make a strong quarterback–play-caller pairing because they see the game in compatible ways. She rejected doubts about whether Cousins still had the arm strength or ability to produce, drawing on the success she had watched him have in Minnesota and her familiarity with Kubiak’s approach.

Age was part of the discussion around Cousins, Bass said, but it had not changed her own expectation of what he could do. She described the fit with Kubiak as a marriage between a quarterback and a play caller, rather than treating Cousins’ performance as something happening on its own.

That connection was one of the reasons she gave for believing in the Raiders’ early play. Her assessment rested on what Cousins could see on the field and how that matched what Kubiak wanted to call. She did not present the pairing as proof of how the entire season would end.

What can Fernando learn behind Kirk Cousins, according to Alexis Bass?

Alexis Bass said Fernando can benefit from time behind Kirk Cousins instead of being rushed into playing. She did not put a timetable on when that could change. Her emphasis was on learning how to operate in the league, developing his own approach under center and adjusting to the professional demands of the job.

Jordan Love’s time behind Aaron Rodgers

The example Bass reached for was Jordan Love backing up Aaron Rodgers. She saw value in that kind of mentorship and in allowing a young quarterback to learn before taking over. Bass was careful not to claim that Fernando’s timeline would match Love’s; she used the comparison to explain why waiting can be productive.

Kevin O’Connell’s work with J. J. McCarthy

Bass also brought up J. J. McCarthy’s injured rookie season and said Kevin O’Connell found ways for him to work through game-like situations away from the field. She could not recall the name of the program she had in mind. For her, the example illustrated that a quarterback’s development does not have to stop when he is not playing on game day.

Those comparisons supported a narrower point about Fernando: learning from Cousins and working on the parts of the job that differ from his previous experience can matter, even while the timing of his opportunity remains unknown.

Why does Alexis Bass think the Raiders’ improvement is real?

Alexis Bass said the Raiders’ 3-0 start reflects more than a burst of excitement among fans. She pointed to players’ consistent praise for Clint Kubiak, the team’s offseason additions and the ownership she sees across offense, defense and special teams. Still, she treated the strong start as evidence of progress, not a guarantee.

What players told Bass about Clint Kubiak

Bass said players repeatedly describe Kubiak as the best leader they have had in their football careers. That consistency stood out to her more than the record alone. She portrayed him as intensely focused on football, while noting how visibly he has celebrated after plays and shared the emotion of wins with the team.

She also described a contrast in his locker-room manner: he can be animated, then bring the group together to thank the Lord. Bass said that combination fits the people in the room. Alongside the offseason roster work, she viewed that leadership as part of the explanation for the team’s changed mood.

Raiders fans in Oakland and beyond

Bass said Raiders fans have always been passionate, even when they have not had a winning team to support. She pointed to the club’s ties to Oakland while discussing its game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Abby Alonzo, who had seen Raiders supporters at the New Orleans Saints’ stadium, described how loudly visiting fans celebrated the 3-0 start.

Bass has more than one rooting connection herself: she follows the Chicago Bears, spent 10 years in Minnesota and said she would ordinarily also root for the Minnesota Vikings. Now, she said, she has the Raiders to root for as well. She captured the enthusiasm around the team with a line of her own:

people are drinking the Raiderade.

Why did Alexis Bass call the Chiefs the Raiders’ biggest test?

Alexis Bass said the Raiders’ upcoming game against the Chiefs would be the most serious test of whether their improvement could hold up. She expected a contest for the top of the AFC West, with the Raiders at home, Chiefs fans likely to travel and both teams having reasons to believe they could compete.

She did not expect the Raiders to enter the game simply waiting to lose. Bass said the team could continue to play freely as an underdog, while coordinators and players on offense, defense and special teams had each taken ownership of their work.

The contrast with the previous season was sharp in her telling. Bass said the Raiders already had as many wins as they had managed the year before, when reporting on their losses had become a recurring task. That made the 3-0 start meaningful to her, but the Chiefs game was the next opportunity to judge it against a tougher challenge.