Kirk Cousins plays game manager, gets the win

No real surprise after Mendoza’s mop-up appearance in Week 5. It doesn’t appear that he’s taken a major step towards unseating Cousins — who has played well — just yet. But it remains a reasonable bet to happen in the near future.

Cousins didn’t play poorly, but didn’t do much beyond connecting with Brock Bowers for some long gains in the first half. The Patriots avalanched the severely overmatched Raiders in the third quarter. Cousins was sacked three times while narrowly avoiding a few other big losses, as the Vegas offensive line struggled to protect him throughout. His muted showing comes after 11 touchdown tosses over the season’s first four games in Klint Kubiak’s offense. Cousins will look to bounce back in Week 6 against the Bills in what should be a high-scoring affair.

Cousins and the Raiders did everything they could to remain undefeated, but came up just short in a game that came down to the wire against their division rivals. Cousins led the Raiders right down the field on their opening drive and capped it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ian Thomas, who was wide open for an easy score. After leading multiple drives that ended in field goals, Cousins came up big for the Raiders in the fourth quarter when he avoided a sack in the pocket and stepped up to find Brock Bowers in the back of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown. A successful two-point conversion play to Cody White cut the Chiefs’ lead to 30-27, but with the Raiders driving in the final seconds of regulation, Cousins would throw the game-ending interception to hand the Chiefs their fourth-straight win of the season. Cousins and the Raiders proved to be legit in this one, as they went blow-for-blow with the Chiefs to the very end. Now sitting with a 3-1 record, the Raiders will look to rebound in Week 5 against the Patriots. Cousins has thrown multiple touchdowns in every game this season and has now thrown for 11 TDs to four INTs. He’ll be in the mix as a strong QB2 next week.

Cousins had a few off-target passes in this one, but he certainly loves having Brock Bowers in the lineup. The duo linked up 10 times on the day, which opened things up for the rest of the offense as the game progressed. Coach Klint Kubiak sent Bowers in motion inside the green zone on a play-action play seemingly designed for Michael Mayer, who got open with ease on a short out route and hauled in the score. Cousins fumbled while being hit late in the game, but a teammate recovered, preserving his turnover-free outing. He warrants borderline QB1/2 treatment against the Chiefs next week.

Cousins was intercepted on the Raiders’ opening drive of the game, but no one was necessarily at fault. Cousins threw a well-timed ball to Tre Tucker on an in-breaking route and the speedy receiver slipped while cutting, leaving the pass to sail into enemy hands. The veteran passer needed a few more drives to get in rhythm but eventually began to pick apart the LA defense. He completed four passes of 20+ yards, something he managed just once in Week 1. Cousins remains more of a ball distributor than anything else, but he has looked good in that role through two weeks. There are worse Superflex options for Week 3 when Cousins takes on the Saints.

With input from Tom Brady, head coach Klint Kubiak will put the 38-year-old Cousins under center for the season opener against the Dolphins. Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will serve as Cousins’ backup. How long this arrangement will last is anyone’s guess. A good start to the regular season could delay Mendoza’s first NFL start for a couple months but he’s almost certain to take over as the Vegas starter at some point in 2026. Mendoza should be stashed in most superflex formats and Cousins profiles as a decent QB2 in such formats for Week 1.

An NFL head coach consulting with an NFL announcer on who his team should start under center is a brave new world for the league. It looks like the Raiders are set on Kirk Cousins to start Week 1 against the Dolphins after Fernando Mendoza’s spotty preseason play and struggles in training camp. Look for Cousins to target his short-area pass catchers relentlessly, like he did last year in Atlanta. It won’t be long before Mendoza gets a shot at starting duties. He should be rostered in most superflex leagues.

Appearing on NFL Live Friday afternoon, Fowler said that people inside the Raiders’ building and around the league still expect Cousins to be named the starter. Raiders HC Klint Kubiak declined to name a starting quarterback Friday morning. Following the loss of Thursday’s preseason game against the 49ers, Kubiak said rookie Fernando Mendoza needs another three preseason games before going as far as mentioning that Mendoza’s practice reps will decline once the regular season begins. While Kubiak continues to drag his feet when it comes to the official announcement, all signs still point to Cousins being named the starter at some point eventually.

That’s three straight weeks that Kubiak has declined to name his Week 1 starter despite the widely held belief that it will be Kirk Cousins getting the start in Week 1 against the Dolphins. Cousins has received the majority of first-team reps throughout the offseason and limited action in the preseason, while Fernando Mendoza has worked mostly with backups and played extensively in every preseason game. We’ll see just how long Kubiak is willing to stretch this decision out, but it would come as a surprise to almost everyone if Mendoza got the nod over Cousins in Week 1.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak declined to name a starting quarterback last week (and again this evening), but Cousins certainly received starter treatment this evening. He played two series, along with the Raiders’ other starters, before being subbed out for QB Fernando Mendoza. The rookie quarterback is playing well. He shares fault with WR Jalen Nailor for the interception. The throw was late, and Nailor tipped it to a 49ers defender. The 49ers’ pass rush also got home a few times against Mendoza as well. Cousins looks like the early-season starter at this time, but stashing Mendoza on benches in superflex leagues could eventually pay off.