Week 1 of the "Mendoza Meter", where we use a scale of 1-10 to gauge how close rookie Fernando Mendoza is to being the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback, ended up being a true mixed bag after a fast start from Kirk Cousins turned into somewhat of a disastrous second half in the opener.
After every Raiders game, while it's appropriate, we will this simple scale to take a reading on how close Mendoza is to taking over for Cousins "1" will represent something like "it's not happening for quite awhile" and "10" will be something like "he might be starting next week." It was a 5 last week.
Of course, the circumstances that will bring that change could be based on Cousins' performance, or an injury could force that hand. In any case, Week 2 against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers promised to be a far stiffer test than the Miami Dolphins offered in Week 1.
But a big upset win over the Chargers has the Mendoza Meter already back down to a 1.
Fernando Mendoza Meter: Kirk Cousins more than holds serve in Week 2
After going a dismal 1-for-7 on throws over 10 yards downfield in Week 1, Cousins went 5-for-7 for 129 yards on those throws in the first half against the Chargers (according to Pro Football Focus), and finished 8-for-12 for 180 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in that range vs. Los Angeles.
The highlights were 40- and 42-yard deep balls to Tre Tucker, as Cousins overall went 9-for-13 for 158 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the opening half. And the interception only happened because Tucker slipped.
After a nice start, as he had in Week 1, the second half would tell the full tale of Cousins' Week 2 performance, just like it did in the season opener. Could the veteran adjust to the opponent's adjustments? Would he be able to will this team to victory, if need be? The answer to both was yes.
Cousins went 10-for-16 for 95 yards (3-for-5 on throws 10-plus yards downfield) with two touchdowns and no interceptions after halftime. The only significant blemish came when he underthrew a wide-open Malik Benson for what would have been a touchdown to possibly put the Raiders up by 10 points way sooner.
The rookie wide receiver possibly ran the wrong route, carrying it downfield when Cousins may have expected him to sit in the vastness of the open space that was there. But it still looked awful. Luckily, that was the exception, not the norm on Sunday.
The two core requirements for Cousins to keep Mendoza on the bench are playing well and winning games. He's 2-for-2 on the latter front, and he has played well for basically six of eight quarters thus far. That is better than anyone expected.
After a good showing for four quarters from Cousins in Week 2, the Mendoza Meter drops all the way down to 1. We will see you again after Week 3, once the Raiders are hopefully done handling business down in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Saints.
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