Kirk Cousins to Remain Raiders' Starting Quarterback for Week 8

Coach Klint Kubiak announced Kirk Cousins will start against the Jets following a 295-yard performance in a loss to the Rams.

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak announced Monday that Kirk Cousins will remain the starting quarterback for Sunday's road game against the New York Jets. The decision comes after a 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a result that dropped the Raiders to a 3-4 record and extended their losing streak to four games. Despite the defeat, Cousins completed 59.1% of his passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 94.4 passer rating while being pressured 19 times.

Kubiak dismissed any immediate quarterback controversy involving No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, stating the Heisman Trophy winner will not start this week. Cousins currently leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes and ranks third in the league with 1,877 passing yards. During the loss to Los Angeles, the 38-year-old veteran was sacked twice as the Rams blitzed on 29.2% of his dropbacks.

While Kubiak noted that Mendoza is "going to play at some point," the team has not established a specific timeline for the rookie's first career start. Mendoza previously appeared in a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, where he completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards after entering at the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter. For the upcoming matchup in New York, Kubiak emphasized that the team must improve the areas around Cousins to snap their current losing streak.