LOS ANGELES -- Kirk Cousins became the Las Vegas Raiders' starting quarterback to help jump-start the rebuild process under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak.
Cousins' presence has paid dividends thus far.
He threw for 253 yards, three touchdowns and an interception to lead the Raiders past the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2021.
Cousins had a 65.5% completion rate and posted a passer rating of 113.1. It was a performance that left wide receiver Tre Tucker clamoring about Cousins postgame, saying the 38-year-old signal-caller "can probably play until he is 60."
"It's still early, but the goal is to build something that way outlasts me," said Cousins, who has thrown six touchdown passes in two games. He is the second player in team history to record six touchdown passes in the first two games, joining former quarterback Ken Stabler in 1976.
Cousins proved that in Year 15, he still has a bit of arm strength. A week after he completed 1 of 7 pass attempts for 21 yards and two interceptions on throws for 10-plus air yards, he was effective on those throws. On attempts of 10-plus air yards, Cousins completed 8 of 12 passes for 181 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Cousins' interception with 9:05 to go in the first quarter was a result of Tucker slipping while running his route, which led to cornerback Cam Hart catching the ball. Cousins, however, had a nice response in the second quarter. With 12 minutes to go, Cousins completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Tucker to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
During the final seconds of the quarter, Cousins found Tucker again for a 42-yard completion that set up a 59-yard field goal attempt from kicker Matt Gay to give Las Vegas a 10-7 lead at halftime. Tucker finished with five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown on seven targets.
"[Cousins] did a really good job of pushing the ball down the field," Kubiak said. "Our playmakers, like Tre, made some really big plays. It's something you're always trying to do every weekend."
Trailing by four points in the third quarter, Cousins helped the Raiders score 17 unanswered points to secure the victory. He engineered the comeback, starting with a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Dareke Young. Cousins tossed the ball to running back Ashton Jeanty, who threw it back to him before he found Young open down the field while a defender was closing in.
Three plays later, Cousins threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody White. In the fourth quarter, both players connected for an 11-yard touchdown, which gave Las Vegas a 13-point advantage.
"He's elite, man. I'm so excited to play with him," Tucker said. "He does not look any bit old to me, and the things I see him doing in practice, he's doing in the games."
Kubiak said: "He's been phenomenal with the operations and leadership. I can't say enough great things about No. 8."
The Raiders hoped that Cousins could show No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, what it takes to be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL. Through two games, Cousins has been a good example to follow.
"I was saying to Fernando as the clock was running out, 'Hey man, this is every game in the NFL,'" Cousins said. "... It takes everything you got, and so you never know what direction it's going to go, but we got to find those inches. We got to finish."
