The Las Vegas Raiders are off to their hottest start in years, and Kirk Cousins is quickly becoming a major reason why.
After defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday, the Raiders are now 2-0 for the first time since 2021. What makes the start even more interesting is how quickly Cousins has settled into his new home and helped transform the Raiders’ offense.
Cousins delivered another impressive performance against Los Angeles, completing 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. More importantly, he made big plays when the Raiders needed them most, helping Las Vegas overcome a 14-10 deficit and score 17 unanswered points to close out the game.
Through two games, Cousins has thrown six touchdown passes. He has also joined Ken Stabler as the only quarterbacks in Raiders history to throw at least three touchdown passes in each of the team’s first two games of a season.
That production has helped give the Raiders a completely different feel offensively.
Tre Tucker has emerged as one of Cousins’ favorite targets, catching five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. Cody White also exploded onto the scene, catching two touchdown passes after being elevated from the practice squad just one day before the game.
The Raiders haven’t been perfect, but they have shown the ability to win in different ways. Their defense forced multiple turnovers against Los Angeles, while Cousins repeatedly capitalized on those opportunities.
Head coach Klint Kubiak has also praised Cousins’ leadership and command of the offense. The quarterback’s experience appears to be giving the Raiders a steady presence while rookie first-round pick Fernando Mendoza watches and learns from the sideline.
It’s obviously still early in the season, but the Raiders have given their fans plenty of reasons to be excited. A 2-0 record, a veteran quarterback playing at a high level and a defense creating timely turnovers have Las Vegas looking like a very different team from the one that entered the season.
The real test now is whether the Raiders can keep this momentum going. They’ll travel to New Orleans next week with a chance to move to 3-0 and continue what has quickly become one of the NFL’s most intriguing early season stories.
