The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t close to being ready to punt on the season yet. Even with back-to-back losses, they are still 3-2 with a chance to make the playoffs.
However, the schedule is brutal, so it’s possible that the Raiders will start accumulating losses. Kirk Cousins has actually been very good for the team this season. He’s playing at a Pro Bowl level right now.
The problem for him is that he’s 38, and No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is the future at quarterback for the Raiders. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon pointed out that Cousins will always be a bridge quarterback for Las Vegas.
“No matter how well Cousins plays, he’ll always be a bridge to rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza,” Gagnon wrote. “And while the 38-year-old has generally performed well for a 3-2 team, he’s been far from a model of consistency, and the Raiders have lost back-to-back games.”
Gagnon then went on to predict that Cousins will be benched in favor of Mendoza later in the season.
“Week 12 at the Browns, giving Cousins plenty of rope while allowing Mendoza sufficient time to marinate,” Gagnon wrote. “The Raiders, who have a dreadful schedule between now and the end of November, will likely have fallen out of the playoff picture by the time they play Cleveland in that spot.”
Raiders Should Start Mendoza if They’re Losing
If the Raiders keep losing games and the playoffs are out of reach, there’s no reason not to play Mendoza. The only risk is that the offensive line, running game and wide receiver room are so bad that it could teach him some bad habits.
If the Raiders think it would be detrimental to his future, then they might as well keep putting Cousins out there. The team has enough pieces to give Mendoza a chance, so that shouldn’t be a major problem. Next year, Mendoza will almost certainly be the Week 1 starter unless the Raiders go on a playoff run. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to give him the chance to play the last five or six games of the season.
Mendoza Is Staying Ready
Week 12 sounds like a great date to wait for Mendoza to play, but it’s still possible he could play much earlier. The Raiders were listless against the Patriots in Week 5, so that level of play could continue.
If that’s the case, the team may have no choice but to turn to Mendoza. There are also many other ways he could be forced on the field. For Mendoza, he’s doing everything he can to stay ready in case his number is called.
“One thing that Coach Sullivan, (offensive coordinator Andrew) Janocko and Coach Kubiak always emphasize is staying engaged in the game,” Mendoza said. “Whether it’s every single play call that comes in the headset, making sure I’m reading out the play call or repeating it to Coach Sullivan, going through the reads and making sure that I’m ready to go at any point and time just as a straight service to the team.”
Kirk Cousins Predicted to Get Benched Ahead of Specific Game Later in Season