Malcolm Koonce sparked the Las Vegas Raiders' fourth-quarter comeback past the New Orleans Saints in a 35-27 victory. Las Vegas trailed by five entering the fourth with New Orleans in scoring territory and momentum slipping away. Koonce reversed it with consecutive game-changing pressures that produced the two touchdowns that decided the outcome.

What happened

The first swing came with the Saints positioned to extend a five-point fourth-quarter lead. Koonce strip-sacked Tyler Shough to end the scoring threat. The turnover set up the go-ahead touchdown that put Las Vegas in front.

New Orleans had little time to regroup before Koonce struck again on the next possession. His hit on Shough forced a floater that Hezekiah Masses intercepted. The takeaway set up another Las Vegas touchdown and completed a rapid fourth-quarter reversal from trailing to controlling the game.

Why it matters

The rally kept Las Vegas unbeaten after its 2-0 start. Holding off New Orleans required a defensive answer with the Saints in scoring territory to open the fourth, and Koonce provided it twice in succession. Those back-to-back takeaways turned a fourth-quarter deficit into the lead that carried the Raiders to 35-27.

Production opposite Maxx Crosby mattered with Kwity Paye limited by illness. Koonce supplied that edge presence when Las Vegas needed it most. He added two run stops, including a third-and-1 stuff of Alvin Kamara with three minutes left that helped close out the win.

By the numbers

Koonce finished with six pressures on 21 pass-rush snaps, an efficient rush output built around the decisive fourth quarter. His 91.6 PFF pass-rush grade ranked second among edge rushers in Week 3 pre-Monday. He added two run stops, including no gain on Kamara on third-and-1 with three minutes remaining.

Both of his signature fourth-quarter rushes ended New Orleans possessions and set up Las Vegas touchdowns. The strip-sack stopped a scoring-territory drive, while the hit that led to the Masses interception stopped the response.

What to watch next

The question now is whether Las Vegas expands Koonce's early-down work alongside Crosby and Paye. His fourth-quarter impact came as a rusher, but the two run stops showed early-down value. The stuff of Kamara on third-and-1 with three minutes left was a closing run-defense play as much as the pressures were closing pass-rush plays.

Keeping Koonce in a larger rotation would keep Crosby and Paye fresh while keeping a productive rusher on the field. After sparking a 35-27 comeback from five points down in the fourth, Koonce has made the case for more snaps.