The Las Vegas Raiders have lost four in a row, and both the fans and coaches are looking for answers on how to fix their problems. The hope is to stop the bleeding with a road win over the New York Jets, but that will be no easy task. And with the trade deadline looming, decisions could be made.
Of course, fans are mainly looking at the quarterback. While the offense has succeeded in the passing game, the recent skid has left much of Raider Nation yearning for a change from Kirk Cousins to Fernando Mendoza.
Klint Kubiak was asked repeatedly about this at the post-game press conference and again on Monday. He told the media that Kirk Cousins will remain the Raiders' starter.
“I want to let you guys know that Kirk [Cousins] is our starting quarterback. There is no controversy there. He’s playing at a very high level, and he’s got to continue to do that for us to win. And we’ve got to keep helping all the areas around him. So, excited for him to go play here against the Jets. And I’ll take any of your questions.”
Maybe the decision to stick with Cousins is less about the veteran quarterback and more about what is happening around him.
Raiders' lack of a run game will continue to keep Fernando Mendoza on the sideline
Kubiak also talked about how running the ball will help Cousins play better. The Raiders are indeed an extremely pass-heavy team right now, which goes against Kubiak's philosophy. This has been a product of both the team's poor rushing attack and trailing in each of the last four weeks.
Cousins is 7th in the league in passing attempts, which is too high. For comparison, Sam Darnold ranked 15th in passing attempts last year. This lack of rushing success puts a lot on Cousins to carry the team. And that can be too much for an aging quarterback and an inexperienced player.
While Cousins is doing well, leading the league with 16 touchdowns, that many pass attempts per game would be tough for a rookie. If Mendoza had to throw the ball over 40 times every Sunday in his rookie season, it could lead to disaster.
That must be a big reason for the hesitation to put him out there. While Mendoza doesn't come off as the type of player who loses confidence, it's possible that he flounders early on, or that he develops bad habits and doesn't get acclimated to the NFL level in the correct way.
On the flip side, the Raiders' offensive line is pass-blocking well; they rank No. 1 in pass-block win rate heading into Week 8. Mendoza will have good enough protection, but with so many attempts, mistakes are bound to happen.
Kubiak understands this and won't rush to Mendoza out there. If the run game were working and Cousins were struggling, it would be different. But that is not the situation the Raiders are in right now. Fans probably won't see the rookie signal caller take over the reins until the season is out of reach.
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