Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak refused to rule anything out after his team’s fourth straight loss. Asked whether the Raiders could turn to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Kubiak said the team is thinking about everything.
Klint Kubiak (Credits: ESPN)
The comments came after the Raiders fell 35-21 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, dropping to 3-4 after a 3-0 start. The Rams led 28-6 at halftime, and although Las Vegas made it competitive in the fourth quarter, the comeback fell short.
Raiders QB Switch: Kubiak Weighs Fernando Mendoza After Rams Loss
“We have to go watch the film,” Kubiak said after the game. “I think at this point, we’re thinking about everything to fix our problems, how to fix our issues in the red zone, in the third quarter, personnel and scheme. We’ve got to talk about all of it.” He added that he did not consider pulling Kirk Cousins in the second half because the game had become competitive again.
Cousins himself was measured about the situation. The veteran, who threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams with no interceptions, said his approach has not changed since he signed in April. “If I’m not the best option, I don’t want to be out there either,” Cousins said. “I want the football team to have the best chance to win games.”
Why the Mendoza Question Won’t Go Away
Through seven games, Cousins leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes against five interceptions, so the numbers alone do not scream for a change. But the Raiders have been outscored heavily during the skid, giving up an average of 35.7 points across the four losses, and they went just 3-of-14 on third down and scored on only one of five red-zone trips against the Rams.
Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft and the Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to the 2025 national championship, has played just once as a rookie, completing 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards in mop-up duty at New England on October 11. Kubiak also stopped short of committing to Cousins for Week 8, leaving the door open as Las Vegas heads on the road before returning home against Seattle on November 15.
Also Read: ‘We’re Gaining Momentum’: How Fernando Mendoza Is Representing Every Hispanic NFL Player Before Him
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
