Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that Kirk Cousins will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's road game against the New York Jets, and that there is "no controversy" about sitting the 38-year-old veteran in favor of No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
Kubiak said Cousins is "playing at a very high level, and he's got to continue to do that for us to win." His job security had appeared uncertain after Kubiak said he would evaluate "everything," including the quarterback position, following the Raiders' 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. That defeat extended the team's losing streak to four games and dropped its record to 3-4.
Cousins has been the least of the Raiders' problems during the skid. He leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes and ranks third in passing yards with 1,877. Against the Rams, he overcame a shaky first half to finish with 295 passing yards and two touchdowns, a 59.1% completion rate and a passer rating of 94.4, despite being sacked twice and pressured 19 times.
Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, made his NFL debut in the fourth quarter of the Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots, completing 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards. Kubiak said the team has a plan for him but no timeline for his first career start. "Fernando is going to play at some point," Kubiak said. "It's not going to be this week."
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing