The Las Vegas Raiders discovered their downfield passing game, and that was all about Kirk Cousins.
The Las Vegas Raiders struggled to push the ball down the field against the Miami Dolphins, but something changed against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. The Raiders were able to make big plays in the air, and Sam Warren of The Athletic pulled back the curtain to see what happened to unleash the deep passing game.
Coach Klint Kubiak echoed what Cousins was able to do with his take on what he saw, saying his quarterback “did a really good job of pushing the ball down the field.” It’s something the Raiders try to do every weekend, but there were several keys to doing it against the Chargers.
In some instances, it was creative play-calling. Cousins’ first explosive throw of the day came via a route combination drawn up by Kubiak. A run to the corner and a quick stop by receiver Jalen Nailor to the boundary pulled safety R.J. Mickens down from the Chargers’ two-high shell, which left open space deep down the field.
That’s exactly what Kubiak and Cousins were looking for, and the second part of the combination route was Tre Tucker using his speed to get open in the hole that was created. That left strong-side safety Genesis Smith exposed with no chance of being able to cover, and Cousins hit a wide-open Tucker in stride for a 40-yard touchdown and the game’s first score.
But Cousins also took a beating in this game. On the other long throw to Tucker, Kubiak made a call that had Nailor running a deep dig that drew the attention of Mickens and pulled him away from Tucker’s corner-post route.
There was one significant problem, however. The timing of the routes forced Cousins to deliver with Chargers pass-rushers Tuli Tuipulotu and Justin Eboigbe bearing down on him. Cousins stood tall in the pocket, but he also took a big hit from two defenders of over 260 pounds to put the throw where it had to be.
Kubiak has seen this sort of thing before. He’s worked with Cousins a lot, which is why the coach believed in his quarterback’s ability to make the throw.
Another fourth down play also drew a big hit. It was a fourth-down play on the touchdown drive that proved to be the final score, and edge rusher ran over Cousins on what was basically a trick play. Three plays later, Cousins hit receiver Cody White for what proved to be the deciding touchdown of the game.
The Raiders will get tight end Brock Bowers back, so hopefully the Raiders will find other ways to make these kinds of plays. They can’t have Cousins constantly taking big hits, even if he’s willing to do it.
