FernandoMendoza

Oct 8

Going into the season, it felt like we would see maybe five or six games of Cousins before the Raiders turned things over to rookie

Fernando Mendoza. That thinking has shifted. The more this team plays the way it has, the less likely it becomes that we see much of Mendoza. That timeline is getting pushed back without question.... The Jets game is the one we circled as a potential entry point for the rookie. Right now, it is hard to see Kubiak making a change with Cousins playing like this. On top of that, Cousins threw the ball 52 times against Kansas City, so the coaching staff clearly trusts him to carry the offense.

Sam Warren·Sep 14

Cousins averaged a 2.32-second time to throw during the preseason, third fastest among quarterbacks with 10 or more attempts and nearly a half-second faster than the league average from last season (2.76 seconds), according to TruMedia. He was decisive, stayed in rhythm and navigated his reads smoothly; all vital for a quarterback in Kubiak’s timing-based offense. Conversely, Mendoza averaged 2.95 seconds to throw on his preseason attempts, 12th slowest among quarterbacks with 10 or more attempts. Cousins’ quick release allows him to avoid sacks — particularly notable considering the Raiders allowed a league-high 64 last year. The additions of center Tyler Linderbaum and offensive line coach Rick Dennison mean the Raiders should have better pass protection, but getting the ball out quickly will lighten the offensive line’s burden. Cousins, making his regular-season Raiders debut, was clinical in the first half, going 14-for-17 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns, including the 300th of his career. While he was quick to get the ball out of his hands, he operated out of clean pockets, giving him clean opportunities. Cousins added a third passing touchdown in the second and finished 21-of-30 passing for 160 yards and three scores. That last touchdown gave Cousins 301 for his career, surpassing John Elway for 14th all time. Cousins looked a little shaky throwing downfield, tossing a pick to Dolphins rookie Michael Taaffe to start the third quarter and another to Dante Trader Jr. in the fourth. But that wasn’t his protection’s fault; it gave him time to take the deep shots he wanted to.