Kirk Cousins has found a new Las Vegas habit, and he isn’t exactly pretending it’s a minor one.
The Raiders quarterback said Wednesday that In-N-Out has quickly become part of his postgame routine since joining the team on a fully guaranteed offseason deal. And Cousins didn’t try to dress it up.
“In-N-Out’s tough to beat. I mean, I have an In-N-Out problem,” Cousins said Wednesday when asked about his postgame ritual.
“When I signed with the Raiders, I knew this is gonna be an issue. That is a great cheap meal, and coming home from a win on a Sunday night, I don’t know if I can’t think of a better spot than that. . .
It’s hard for me to fully articulate why I like it so much, but, yeah, I’m a sucker for it.”
He also joked about how much he can eat there, telling reporters, “I can put down a lot of In-N-Out burgers.” Cousins called his frequent visits a “problem,” then summed up the appeal by saying, “That is a great cheat meal.”
The food confession came after a strong start to his Raiders tenure. Cousins helped Las Vegas beat the Dolphins in the season opener on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, going 21 of 30 for 160 yards and three touchdown passes in a comfortable win.
Two of those scores went to rookie running back Ashton Jeanty in the red zone, while the other came on a sharp 15-yard touchdown throw to Jack Bech in the first quarter.
The performance also pushed Cousins into rare company. He joined the NFL’s 300-touchdown club, becoming just the 15th quarterback to reach that mark.
Now the Raiders turn their attention to Week 2, when they head on the road for a divisional matchup against the Chargers.
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