Cousins Falls On His Sword As Raiders Poor Play Continues

Kirk Cousins usually comes up with bland, predictable quotes and comments, but the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback was surprisingly candid after the Raiders’ 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, saying that “If I’m not the best option, I don’t want to be out there.”

The quote came from a post-game report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and while it was shocking, it also aligns with the thought process of coach Klint Kubiak, who brought Cousins in as a placeholder starter while the Raiders got top draft pick Fernando Mendoza ready to take over. 

The Raiders shot out of the gate with three straight wins, but now the full extent of the roster rebuild in Las Vegas is becoming clearer with each successive loss. The Raiders havedropped four straight, and it feels like Mendoza’s time is coming with Las Vegas slowly slipping out of playoff contention. 

Sunday’s loss against the Rams made that especially apparent. The game was JV vs. varsity stuff, with the Rams storming down the field for four touchdown drives in the first half while the Raiders could manage just a pair of field goals. 

Cousins wasn’t the problem, however. He was under constant duress against the Rams and once again working without a viable running game, but he still managed to throw for almost 300 yards as he went 26-for-44 while throwing for a pair of touchdowns. 

But the journeyman quarterback isn’t the answer, either, nor is he going to be part of the future. His immobility has been exposed in a big way, and teams are simply stacking the box and crowding receivers, daring Cousins to throw over the top to a deep threat he barely has. 

That deep threat is Tre Tucker, who has been steadily improving with each passing week. He’s not a No. 1 receiver at this point by any means, but he is starting to look like a viable threat to stretch the field and make some plays. 

The real issues are on the line of scrimmage right now, though. The Raiders couldn’t protect Cousins, and they couldn’t stop Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, who combined to rush for almost 200 yards as LA cruised to easy win. 

Three questions are relevant here: (1) Is Mendoza ready? (2) Would it matter? (3) Can the Raiders protect Mendoza enough to keep him from getting hurt? Those are the issues Kubiak will be sorting out this week as he tries to stop the Raiders' slide.