The Las Vegas Raiders got their first of hopefully many wins of the 2026 NFL season on Sunday in a 27-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins. It was one of the team's most consistent performances in recent years, which has Raider Nation excited about the new coaching staff, led by Klint Kubiak.
Las Vegas' running game dominated throughout the matchup, as Kubiak clearly leaned on Ashton Jeanty. However, the passing game, while efficient at times, lacked explosive plays downfield. When quarterback Kirk Cousins did attempt to push the ball upfield, he was concerningly unsuccessful.
Cousins was 1-for-7 with two interceptions on throws that went more than 10 yards downfield. And both picks came in the second half when the Raiders were trying to put the game away. A veteran signal-caller has to take care of the ball better in those scenarios.
While there weren’t many opportunities for deep passes because of the Dolphins' defense, Cousins forced the football into traffic instead of taking the easier throws, raising the question of whether he can reliably throw it downfield this season. Let's take a look at the tape.
Both of Kirk Cousins' interceptions were preventable
For Cousins to throw downfield, he will have to depend on timing. His arm talent has decreased tremendously over the last few years, so he has to make sure that he is on time, or it could lead to turnovers, as it did twice on opening weekend.
On his first interception of the day, Raider Nation saw what it looks like live for him to force the ball into a tight window. The Raiders were running a choice concept designed for Michael Mayer underneath, and Jack Bech was running a post route over the top.
After the snap, Jacob Rodriguez got plenty of depth in the middle of the field. That left little room for Bech with Mayer open underneath. Cousins tried to anticipate the window, missed Bech, and it led to a huge pick that let the Dolphins back in the game.
Cousins' second interception was a product of hesitation. The Raiders were running a backside post with Jalen Nailor, while Jeanty and Tre Tucker ran what is called a sticks concept. That is the original read that Cousins will open to after the snap.
But Cousins didn't like what he saw on that side, so he went backside to the post. It was initially open for a brief second, but Cousins hesitated. That small hesitation allowed the safety to cut the route off and get an interception.
A look at Cousins' 2nd INT. Thought if he threw it on time, it could have been a nice gain.
— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) September 15, 2026
Double clutch makes him late, and late over the middle= INT pic.twitter.com/wYi4IXu5kK
Both of these turnovers could have been avoided with better decisions from Cousins. He simply has to understand the situations that he is in better. Hopefully, this will be cleaned up before a more talented team like the Los Angeles Chargers takes the field against the Raiders in Week 2.
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