Klint Kubiak doesn’t lack confidence.
And why should he? The Las Vegas Raiders rookie head coach entered the week with a 3-0 record, which would’ve been an unfathomable thought after the team posted an NFL-worst 3-14 record a season ago. So the head coach wanted to show off some of that confidence heading into halftime with a 13-10 lead over the rival Kansas City Chiefs.
It was a quick halftime interview with CBS’ Tracy Wolfson for Kubiak, who wasn’t entirely thrilled with the first-half results from the running game. Despite struggling to move the ball on the ground, Kubiak used the moment to offer a prediction.
“Gotta be better, but you know what? We’re winning,” Kubiak said. “We’re gonna win the game.”
Take a look:
“Gotta be better, but you know what? We’re winning. We’re gonna win the game.”
– @Raiders coach Klint Kubiak to @tracywolfson at halftime 👀 pic.twitter.com/87ESYVPBiC
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 4, 2026
Halftime interviews don’t typically make headlines, but this was an opportunity for his team to make a statement. The Chiefs have owned the AFC West for years and that was evidenced by the overwhelming sea of red in the crowd at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Raiders.
A win over the Chiefs would’ve put the Raiders on the map in a way that they haven’t been in a long time.
CBS analyst J.J. Watt said he believed that was a moment where Kubiak’s real personality shined through.
“It felt like one of those moments for a young coach where he almost didn’t know what he was saying in the moment, but he was that confident,” Watt said. “Think that maybe that’s who he is when he’s in that locker room. He’s a very tight-lipped guy for the most part. I think you might have said that he let it slip.
“He let the real personality slip.”
Of course, the Raiders didn’t finish the job and fell short on Sunday despite a furious last-ditch effort to tie the game. In the world of moral victories, this is one that Vegas could work with, even if the 30-27 final score won’t put one in the real win column.
At the very least, the Raiders showed their real personality in Week 4. And the results have given them no reason to believe otherwise.
Even if this moment will end up as the subject of jokes on social media.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Klint Kubiak said Raiders would win. He was right in the first half
