Raiders' Cousins Joins Tom Brady, Drew Brees in Rare NFL Company

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins joined two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history Sunday, although the achievement came during one of his team's most frustrating performances of the season.

The 38-year-old veteran accomplished something previously achieved by only Tom Brady and Drew Brees among players his age.

According to Associated Press football writer Josh Dubow, Cousins joined Brady in 2018 and Brees in 2020 as the only players age 38 or older to record both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in consecutive games.

Cousins reached the milestone during Las Vegas' 38-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

He scored on a two-yard quarterback sneak in the second quarter, cutting San Francisco's lead to 14-7.

The rushing touchdown was his second in as many weeks, following a three-yard scoring run during the Raiders' 38-33 comeback victory over the New York Jets.

Cousins also threw three touchdown passes against New York, including two to Brock Bowers.

Those connections helped Bowers break an NFL receiving record previously held by Mike Ditka.

Against San Francisco, Cousins completed the historical achievement with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bowers in the third quarter.

However, the afternoon quickly became one to forget for the veteran quarterback.

Cousins completed 22 of 32 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown but threw three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown by rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger.

According to the Raiders' official game recap, Las Vegas committed five turnovers after halftime, repeatedly squandering opportunities to get back into the game.

The loss dropped the Raiders to 4-5 after they opened the season with three consecutive victories.

Cousins' performance also underscored the uncertainty surrounding his future with the franchise.

Las Vegas selected quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick in April, but coach Klint Kubiak has continued relying on Cousins as his starter.

The veteran's recent production had even increased speculation about his potential trade value ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

Now, with the Raiders having lost five of their past six games, questions about the quarterback position are likely to intensify.

Cousins' unusual achievement demonstrates that he can still produce memorable moments at 38.

But Sunday's three-interception performance also showed why individual milestones offer little consolation when the Raiders continue losing games.