The Las Vegas Raiders have lost four straight games since starting the season 3-0, so the idea that some changes are needed isn't ludicrous. The headliner of those prospective changes is at quarterback, with easy calls for rookie Fernando Mendoza to replace Kirk Cousins.
Of course, that's not a decision that will be made lightly. Once Mendoza steps in for Cousins, he's there to stay, barring an injury. With that in mind, Mendoza might not be stepping into an ideal situation, as the Raiders have plenty to figure out across their roster.
On Monday, Klint Kubiak smartly got in front of questions about a potential quarterback change by saying Cousins will remain the starter. He said there's "no controversy" and that Cousins is "playing at a high level."
While the second point may stretch logic a bit, sentiment about Mendoza not being considered ready to start is surely layered in those comments. But the fact is, Cousins has not played particularly well for most of the last two games.
Yes, the box scores have looked good in the end, but the Raiders have scored 32 of their 51 points over that span in the fourth quarter, when the game is out of reach. Cousins is hardly the only issue, but he's also not helping the situation that has yielded garbage-time production.
But he's got one more chance to benefit from Kubiak's week-to-week approach.
Kirk Cousins has one more chance to benefit from Klint Kubiak's mentality
Week 8 against the 2-5 New York Jets looks like the perfect time to make the transition to Mendoza. It's the easiest-looking game amid an ongoing tough stretch of the schedule that literally goes all the way to the bye week in Week 13. A lot of people don't want to wait that long to see Mendoza.
But on the other hand, as Kubiak maintains focus on simply winning the next game (for better or worse) with the team still in the hunt, it's also a potential get-right game for Cousins. Kubiak is, by no means, throwing in the towel or prioritizing the future over the present.
The Jets enter Week 8 with the NFL's seventh-best pass defense (187.7 yards allowed per game), and their other pass defense metrics are good. But they also haven't exactly faced a full gauntlet of quarterbacks thus far (Cam Ward, Tyson Bagent, Deshaun Watson and Malik Willis).
A potential concern regarding the Jets' defense, based on what we've seen work against Cousins, is that their blitz rate is the third-highest in the league (36.8 percent). And Aaron Glenn's unit runs a lot of man coverage, which could pose issues for the Raiders' wide receiver corps.
That aggression has translated to top-half of the league hurry and pressure rates, but their quarterback knock-down rate is in the bottom half of the league. If Cousins can get the ball out of his hands quickly, success can be had through the air in the competitive flow of the game.
Cousins would also be greatly aided if the Raiders' run game could get on track. The Jets have the league's 24th-ranked run defense, and they're allowing a solid 4.1 yards per carry on 31 rush attempts per game. Plus, New York will be without its best rush defender and a starting edge.
If Las Vegas can't get anything done on the ground this week, then what is already a big problem will grow into something even more critical.
Whatever the reasons, good or bad, Kubiak is not yet at the point of making a change at quarterback. He acknowledged that Mendoza will play at some point, presumably this season; it just won't be this week.
And with that, Cousins has one last chance, against a lackluster, beatable opponent, to show he should remain the starter any longer.
If Cousins doesn't get it done against the Jets, Kubiak cannot come back and say there is no quarterback controversy, or that the veteran signal-caller is playing well. If he does, he'll completely lose credibility that has already been stretched by the way he talks about injuries.
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