Kirk Cousins began his stint Sunday arsenic the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders astatine his ain 7-yard enactment astatine Allegiant Stadium other the Miami Dolphins. Not the perfect tract position. Not that it mattered to Cousins, who had much tract to make the bushed with which helium opened his 15th season.
“Being capable to drawstring agelong drives unneurotic is simply a motion of a mature offense,” helium said.
Quarterback, too.
Cousins drove the Raiders 93 yards and capped the possession with a touchdown pass, the archetypal of 3 successful a 27-13 victory successful his squad debut. He finished it 21-of-30 passing 160 yards and 3 scores — the archetypal to wide receiver Jack Bech and the 2nd 2 to moving backmost Ashton Jeanty — the 299th, 300th, and 301st of his NFL career.
He’s 1 of 15 quarterbacks to propulsion 300 touchdowns successful the NFL, and his 3rd touchdown flip gives him 1 much than Denver Broncos fable John Elway.
“It’s conscionable a testament to trying to triumph the agelong game. Trying to person bully habits implicit a agelong play of time,” said Cousins, who besides threw 2 second-half interceptions. “I consciousness similar it’s besides a testament to the radical I’ve been capable to enactment with. The coaches. The players astir me. Really grateful for each the radical progressive and being capable to bash that.”
Cousins was signed successful the offseason for his poise, precision and mentation contempt dwindling limb spot astatine 38. His savvy and know-how person him starting implicit prized rookie backmost Fernando Mendoza, who watched him physique a 17-6 halftime pb without a completion down the field.
Without prima choky extremity Brock Bowers to target, Cousins completed his archetypal 10 passes — spraying strikes adjacent the enactment of scrimmage to marque for manageable downs and distances. He finished his archetypal possession, a 16-play, 93-yard excursion, with a 15-yard scoring onslaught to Bech.
Said Cousins connected the merit of meticulous drives: “That’s an important aspect. … I deliberation it’s a conditioning thing. It’s being capable to drawstring plays unneurotic wherever we’re not going backwards. Not having antagonistic plays oregon intelligence errors oregon penalties. … That’s a cardinal portion of playing winning shot successful this league.”
A consequent second-quarter thrust was capped by Jeanty’s archetypal scoring transportation with Cousins, who recovered him implicit the mediate for a 13-yard score. He overthrew Bech connected 2nd down of the opening possession of the 2nd half, but responded connected the adjacent thrust with his 2nd people Jeanty, a 13-yarder successful the flat.
Then came the 2nd interception, telegraphed precocious implicit the mediate for Miami though intended for wideout Jalen Nailor. Las Vegas manager Klint Kubiak noted the picks were “decisions that he’s got to person back” but said Cousins arrived “ready to play” against the Dolphins.
Added Kubiak: “That’s the quality of the position. That’s thing we’re going to get fixed and cleaned up, but wide helium played winning football.”
Cousins lamented the interceptions, arrogant arsenic helium was of the mode the Raiders played.
“Certainly the turnovers are disappointing. Those are connected me,” Cousins said. “There’s surely immoderate plays successful the 2nd fractional we’d emotion to person backmost truthful recognition Miami’s defence for doing immoderate bully stuff. But we’ll larn from it and person immoderate bully meetings (Monday) to speech done it. But large to get our archetypal triumph and to get with the guys and beryllium capable to celebrate.”
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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