Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maybe expectations for Kirk Cousins were too low among Las Vegas Raiders fans heading into the 2026 NFL season. Either way, he has largely exceeded them. But some of the shortcomings that Raider Nation predicted he'd have are finally coming back to bite him at the year's midway point.
Klint Kubiak insists that there is no quarterback controversy in Las Vegas, even amid the team's four-game losing streak. But perhaps there should be, as Fernando Mendoza is waiting in the wings and could add elements to this Raiders offense that Cousins simply cannot anymore, or never could.
The counterargument to that? Cousins' stats are tremendous. He's far from the main issue with the Silver and Black, so why rock the boat at 3-4? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news (not really), but Cousins' league-leading stats are lying to you. They are hollower than you think or require context.
Kirk Cousins' elite 2026 stats are lying to Raiders fans
Cousins has not sunk the team in the early going as I thought he would, and he deserves credit for getting things off the ground this fall. What he has accomplished with one effective wideout, Brock Bowers missing two games, no run game to accompany him and a shaky offensive line is remarkable.
But opposing teams have a beat on him now, and every game plan is going to look the same. Because of Cousins' limitations, the Raiders don't have a way to combat that plan with him under center. And the argument that Cousins is playing well simply because his stats are great is actually a fallacy.
Let's go through things week-by-week and discover that the numbers are not what they seem.
Week 1 vs. Dolphins
Although Las Vegas had a triumphant win, Cousins' numbers weren't even spectacular in this one. He went 21-for-30 for 160 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. And to his credit, all three of his scores came on long touchdown drives where he truly earned the "stats tell the story" distinction.
In the second half, though, with the Raiders ahead and needing their veteran quarterback to put the game away, Cousins crumbled quite a bit. He went just 7-for-14 for 64 yards in the final two quarters, throwing one touchdown but also throwing two interceptions to gift Miami great field position twice.
Week 2 vs. Chargers
Again, in a win, things get swept under the rug. But with just 3:42 left in the game against an awful Los Angeles team, the Raiders' offense only had 17 points. Yes, Cousins led Las Vegas on two long touchdown drives, but scoring in the teens is not typically enough to win an NFL game.
Enter the defense, which forced a fumble deep in Chargers territory to give Cousins his vaunted third touchdown of the game. Cousins just needed 16 yards for a score to seal this one, but the Raiders had punted on three of their last four drives (and two straight) before this stroke of good fortune.
Week 3 vs. Saints
Truthfully, every play mattered in this game, and none of these stats are "hollow." But it should be noted that Las Vegas scored 13 of its 35 points in the fourth quarter on the back of takeaways by the defense, yet again.
A forced fumble gave the Raiders the ball at midfield for Cousins' second touchdown drive, which followed a three-and-out. Then, his third touchdown pass came after Las Vegas intercepted a pass and ran it all the way back to the four-yard line.
Not to mention, with the team leading 35-27 with just under two minutes to play, Cousins was strip-sacked at midfield. This may have been disastrous if Connor Heyward weren't there to scoop up the ball and allow A.J. Cole to boot it away on the next play.
Week 4 vs. Chiefs
Here is where things start to change from "the Raiders are giving Cousins the ball deep in enemy territory" to "Las Vegas is constantly trailing and Cousins' numbers are inflated as he throws the ball so much in the second half against softer defenses."
Cousins did rack up 365 passing yards in this game, but he did so on a whopping 52 attempts. His first touchdown drive was lengthy, but a good bulk of his production came with the Raiders down 30-19 with just three minutes left and the game practically over.
In the final stanza, Cousins threw for 99 yards and a touchdown that were futile, and to make matters worse, he threw an interception on the team's final play of the game when they were actually gifted a chance to win it or tie it up. And two big penalties that didn't affect the play extended those drives.
Week 5 vs. Patriots
During the first quarter, Cousins led a long scoring drive. But the Raiders then went five straight drives without getting points, and New England got up 28-7 in that time. The game script obviously tilted toward Cousins throwing the ball a bunch.
Before Mendoza came in, Cousins threw for 120 of his 243 yards in the second half when the Patriots dropped back into a soft zone, and only then did he tack on a field goal and a touchdown, the former of which came after being handed the ball at midfield, thanks to a shanked punt.
Week 6 vs. Bills
This game resembled the Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs a bit. Again, Cousins had 313 yards, but he threw the ball 41 times. And with the team trailing 33-23 with just 1:56 on the clock, Cousins added 44 yards and a touchdown to his stat sheet when it didn't really matter anymore.
Week 7 vs. Rams
Sunday was easily the biggest example of Cousins' stats needing context. The Raiders were down 28-3 with under two minutes remaining in the first half, and only after this did Cousins chip in 256 of his 295 passing yards. And both of his touchdowns.
A fake punt extended one drive that halted, and Cousins got extra yards because the Raiders were going for it on fourth down as well. Las Vegas also got two takeaways in the second half that led to a touchdown, but Cousins couldn't even capitalize on the other gift deep in Rams territory.
Obviously, Cousins deserves credit for punching the ball into the end zone and finishing drives, even when the defense hands it to him in a favorable spot. That is complementary football at its best. And again, the situation around him hasn't exactly been stellar to begin the year.
But so much of his statistical output can be attributed to external factors, not just Cousins setting the world on fire. Four of his league-leading 16 touchdowns have come on short fields, and three have come in the final minutes of a game that is already over. Even more in the second half of blowouts.
Much of his yardage output can be attributed to the Raiders passing the ball so often, not just because they are trailing in games, but because the Las Vegas rushing attack is so poor. That is both an excuse for Cousins, but also a reason that his composite stats look so good.
In Weeks 1-3, Cousins had nine touchdowns and averaged 220.3 yards per game on just 27.3 attempts per game. That is winning football. In Weeks 4-7, Cousins has thrown for just seven touchdowns, but he is averaging 304 yards per game on 41.3 attempts. That is losing football.
It is no wonder that the Raiders were 3-0 in Weeks 1-3 and are now 0-4 in Weeks 4-7. Relying on Cousins so much is not a winning formula, even if his stats look good. When the defense isn't shutting teams out in the fourth quarter and leading the NFL in takeaways, it is an entirely different ballgame.
Cousins went from averaging three touchdowns through the air per game to under two. The defense picked up the offense quite a bit in the first portion of the campaign, and now it is the offense's turn to do the same with long, sustained drives. They haven't done that.
So, while it is easy to look at Cousins' 16 touchdowns and 1,877 passing yards, which rank first and third in the league, respectively, and say that he isn't the problem and that it would be foolish to bench him, that's not exactly the truth.
The harsh truth is that much of Cousins' output requires context or has a bit of hollowness to it. And that is why it is so important to watch the games and come to your own conclusions and not just base your opinion on what the box score says.
Because Cousins' stats are lying to you, to a large extent.