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Kirk Cousins has been a key catalyst to the Raiders’ quick turnaround. The veteran quarterback was brought in to be a bridge quarterback while the Raiders rebuilt, but now Las Vegas could be pushing for a playoff spot.
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Any thoughts of Fernando Mendoza taking over the Raiders’ offense in 2026 have been put on hold. Cousins has played much better than expected, guiding the Raiders to a 3-1 record one season after Las Vegas went 3-14.
The Raiders didn’t have Brock Bowers for the first two games of the season. The wide receiver room is one of the worst in the NFL. Plus Ashton Jeanty and the running game have been incredibly inefficient.
But the offense is still producing, largely due to Cousins’ great start.
6 Passing Touchdowns
Cousins has been one of the best in the NFL in short passing. When throwing less than 10 yards down the field, Cousins has completed 78.1 percent of his passes with a league-high six touchdown passes.
With how much the running game has struggled, those touchdowns are critical to finishing off drives. Jeanty has the eighth-most carries in the red zone this season, but he has turned in just 27 yards on those 15 rushes. He also hasn’t scored a rushing touchdown this season.
When drives have been in danger of stalling out near the goal line, Cousins has ensured the offense puts six points on the scoreboard.
5 Sacks
Last season the Raiders allowed the most sacks in the NFL. Through four games, Cousins has been sacked just five times. While the offensive line has improved, Cousins deserves credit for the limited number of times he’s been dropped in the backfield.
Cousins has a pressure to sack rate of 9.3 percent. That is the third best mark in the NFL, behind Brock Purdy and Bo Nix. Cousins has been able to navigate the pass rush and avoid taking big losses.
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Cousins has allowed the offense to stay on schedule by simply avoiding drive-killing sacks.
52.8 Success Rate
Staying on schedule has been the Raiders’ best offense. This season Las Vegas has a 52.8 percent success rate, the fourth best mark in the NFL. Cousins isn’t getting sacked or throwing many incompletions while constantly picking up yardage.
The Raiders have one true playmaker on offense in Brock Bowers. But outside of the star tight end, there aren’t many players making game-breaking plays. So Las Vegas needs to constantly pick up chunks to keep drives alive and put up points.
16 Deep Attempts
While Cousins has been effective throwing the ball short this season, he has not been much of a factor when pushing the ball down the field. Cousins is 6 of 16 when throwing the ball 20 yards or more down the field, according to Pro Football Focus.
He’s not the worst in the NFL – Aaron Rodgers is 6 of 25 – but Cousins hasn’t provided a threat to defenses. Cousins hit a couple of deep balls in the Week 2 win over the Chargers, but it was the only time this season that the Raiders’ passing game stretched the field.
Cousins’ ineffectiveness on deep passes hasn’t really hurt the Raiders yet, but he will likely need to improve to keep the offense rolling.
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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM.