The Las Vegas Raiders still haven’t officially named their starting quarterback with the regular season just over three weeks away. Seriously, with the clock ticking towards Week 1, you’d think they’d have this squared away, but Raiders coach Klint Kubiak decided to keep everyone guessing after their 22-20 preseason win over the Texans on Thursday night. He even said, “We got another week of playing. I don’t want anyone to be comfortable in their job. It should always be that way for all positions. So, let’s keep going forward.” Sounds like a battle, right? But if you’ve been paying attention to what Kubiak has been saying all training camp, the decision is already made.
Kubiak’s Real Message Has Been Clear For Weeks
Look, the coach can talk about keeping everyone on their toes, but the truth came out weeks ago. The closest Kubiak came to actually naming his starter was way back on August 13 after the Raiders’ first preseason game, a 27-14 loss to the Cardinals. In that game, Kirk Cousins was on the field for exactly one offensive possession, and he was basically perfect, going 5-of-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown. After that performance, Kubiak dropped the key line: “Kirk’s been getting the reps with the ones. I think he’s had a solid training camp and it’s his job to lose.” Those five words say it all, don’t they? “It’s his job to lose.”
Cousins Stumbles, But Mendoza Couldn’t Capitalize
Since that comment, Cousins hasn’t exactly made things easy for himself, but he hasn’t lost the job either. He didn’t even play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Texans. Instead, his recent action came in a joint practice earlier in the week against Houston. Cousins had an up-and-down day in that practice. He threw a pick-six to Kamari Lassiter, which is never good, but he also made several big plays against a Texans defense that’s expected to be one of the best in the NFL this year. Cousins himself admitted, “Probably would have liked to have finished a little stronger. But we made some plays in the first few periods that we were pleased with, and we’ll keep building from here.”
This was Fernando Mendoza’s golden opportunity to close the gap on the 38-year-old veteran. Mendoza even got some first-team reps in that joint practice, which had been rare for him in camp. But he couldn’t outplay Cousins. While Mendoza did make some highlight throws, he also threw two interceptions during a red zone period, including another pick-six, this one to Jalen Pitre. Then, in Thursday’s preseason game, Mendoza got off to a rough start with a pick-six on just his third throw. Despite Cousins’ own struggles, Mendoza just couldn’t capitalize.
So, while Kubiak stays mum, all signs still point to Cousins. We’re just waiting for the official word before Week 1 kicks off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply