The Las Vegas Raiders had a terrible 2025 season, finishing with a 3-14 record and the offense averaging just 14.2 points per game. However, with quarterback Kirk Cousins leading the offense in the 2026 season, the Raiders are off to a 2-0 start. This marks the franchise’s first 2-0 start since the 2021 season, the last time Las Vegas made it to the playoffs. Yet, NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt feels the ESPN studio has barely acknowledged these facts.

Brandt appeared on ESPN’s Big Day as part of the network’s integration and he used the platform to shed light on the Raiders’ glaring absence from ESPN’s daily coverage.

“I’ve been on 26 football shows today, and I have not been asked about the Raiders once. Good Morning Football, Get Up, First Take, Cold Pizza, Rome Is Burning, Beg, Borrow, and Deal, Barstool, Van Talk. None of them,” Brandt said on ESPN’s Big Day. “Let me tell you something. The production email for First Take is so long. So long. I can’t open it unless I’m connected to Wi-Fi. And there’s not a single Raiders question in all 78 pages.

“The email asks for Bucs takes. Panthers takes. Steelers takes. I scrolled all the way to the bottom where it said, ‘let us know if there’s anything else you’re hot on.’ Nothing. The 2-0 Raiders aren’t even compelling enough to be First Take’s last take. What am I hot on? I’m hot on the bleepin’ Raiders. But nobody else is. And that’s fine. That’s good. That’s great. Because you keep doing what Al intended. Just win, baby. Three words. 3-0. Let’s go.”

Several structural, narrative, and scheduling reasons could be used to explain why ESPN has largely ignored the Las Vegas Raiders’ hot start. First off, the Raiders do not have prime-time games anchoring the early or middle parts of their schedule.

Major networks naturally center daily debates around teams featured in marquee prime-time slots like Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, or Sunday night broadcasts. However, since the Raiders play in afternoon windows, they fall out of the immediate national conversation cycle.

On top of that, sports debate shows thrive on quarterback controversy, draft-pick narratives, or off-field drama. Although the team has sparked intrigue with their current stability, their past seasons haven’t given people much to talk about.

However, the Las Vegas Raiders, following their win against the Miami Dolphins (27-13) and the LA Chargers (26-14), the team looks settled.

Cousins has been solid, throwing for 413 yards and 6 touchdowns across two games. Because he is performing exactly like a reliable veteran should, there is no high-stakes drama surrounding his play. Then, the No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is being developed under a strict “no rush” policy by head coach Klint Kubiak and the front office.

However, one can argue that the Raiders have jumped to an undefeated start without their best offensive weapon, star tight end Brock Bowers, and that it deserves some media attention.

That said, while morning debate shows like First Take and Get Up drew criticism from Kyle Brandt for failing to showcase the team, ESPN insiders Dan Graziano and Adam Schefter have consistently provided critical roster updates on Mendoza and Bowers.