Cousins Leads Raiders Past Jets in 38-33 Comeback Win
The quarterback threw three touchdown passes and rushed for a score as Las Vegas snapped a four-game losing streak.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and added a rushing score to lead the Las Vegas Raiders to a 38-33 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. The win erased a 23-14 halftime deficit and ended a four-game losing streak for the Raiders.
The Raiders trailed 30-21 with 8 minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter before taking control of the game. Cousins finished the contest with 63.6% pass completion and an average of 265.5 yards per game. His 19 touchdown passes are second only to Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow in the league.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak praised Cousins’ steady approach during high-pressure situations. “As an overall player, he's been a real blessing,” Kubiak said. “Our team has played really good football, and we're right around the halfway mark and we have a lot of football left to play. None of us are satisfied where we're at. We just want to keep getting better.”
Cousins has maintained his starting role despite the presence of first-round pick Fernando Mendoza. The veteran quarterback has a history of leading teams back from large deficits, including a 24-0 comeback against Tampa Bay in 2015 and a 33-0 rally against Indianapolis in 2022. “I’ve always tried not to ride the roller coaster,” Cousins said. “But that also means sometimes when things are going well, I’m a little more steady.”
The Raiders’ running game improved markedly in the fourth quarter. Mike Washington Jr. carried the ball 25 times for 83 yards, providing a boost after the team averaged 55.8 rushing yards per game in its previous four contests. Kubiak stated that Washington, Ashton Jeanty, and Dylan Laube all remain viable options for the offense. “I think it’s always a moving target,” Kubiak said of distributing playing time.
Defensively, the Raiders remain vulnerable against the ground game. The team is last in the league in yards rushing allowed per play at 5.11 and second to last in yards allowed per game at 146.4. The Jets rushed for 166 yards on the day but limited their ground attack in the second half to just four carries for 26 yards.
Wide receiver Jalen Nailor contributed four catches for 38 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. Cousins noted that Nailor had been underutilized earlier in the season. “I kept telling him, even this week, ‘We’ve really underutilized you so far,’” Cousins said. The Raiders will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, which marks the second game of a five-game stretch that includes four road contests.
Cornerback Darien Porter and defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway will be evaluated this week due to injuries to their groin and shoulder, respectively. The Raiders have scored 221 points through eight games, a figure that ties for the fourth most in franchise history at that stage of a season.
