Veteran Kirk Cousins Has the Las Vegas Raiders Flying High at 2-0

An Impressive Start to the Season

The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a perfect 2-0 start for the first time since 2021. Under first time head coach Klint Kubiak, the team brought in veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to help guide their rebuild. The move is already paying dividends.

On Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, Cousins threw for 253 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The Raiders beat the Chargers 26-14. Cousins finished with a 65.5 percent completion rate and a passer rating of 113.1.

Pushing the Ball Downfield

Cousins showed he still has plenty of arm strength in his 15th NFL season. After struggling with deep passes in his first game, he was highly effective on Sunday. On throws of 10 or more air yards, he completed 8 of 12 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Tre Tucker was his main target. Tucker caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter, Cousins found Tucker for a 40 yard touchdown to open the scoring. Later in the half, another 42 yard pass to Tucker set up a 59 yard field goal by Matt Gay, giving Las Vegas a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Tucker was full of praise for his quarterback after the game. He said Cousins is elite and can probably play until he is 60.

Leading a Second Half Comeback

The Chargers took the lead in the third quarter, but Cousins helped the Raiders respond with 17 unanswered points. He sparked the comeback with a trick play, tossing the ball to running back Ashton Jeanty, who threw it back to Cousins. Cousins then found Dareke Young for a 27 yard gain.

Three plays later, Cousins threw a 13 yard touchdown pass to Cody White. The duo connected again in the fourth quarter for an 11 yard touchdown, sealing the win.

Cousins now has six touchdown passes in his first two games. He is only the second player in Raiders history to do this, joining Ken Stabler from the 1976 season.

Mentoring the Next Generation

Beyond the statistics, Cousins is helping the next generation. The Raiders drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the number one pick, hoping he could learn from the veteran.

As the clock ran out on Sunday, Cousins offered some advice to the rookie. He told Mendoza that every game in the NFL takes everything you have and you must find a way to finish.

Coach Kubiak praised his quarterback, saying Cousins has been phenomenal with his leadership and operations.