The Raiders came out of Week 7 looking like a team stuck between two identities: better than last year, but still too erratic to trust. Their loss to the Los Angeles Rams had the same flat feel as the Week 5 blowout against the New England Patriots, with little going right for Las Vegas on Sunday.
One of the few bright spots was Laube, who turned in arguably the best performance of any Raider. Through three quarters, he was averaging nearly 40 yards per kickoff return, giving Las Vegas decent field position when the rest of the offense couldn’t get anything moving.
The trouble started quickly on the other side of the ball. Las Vegas’ defensive backfield had no answer for Matthew Stafford early, as he completed nine of his first 10 passes and 12 of his first 14.
Stafford is the league’s reigning MVP and has done this against stronger defenses, but that doesn’t make the start any easier to stomach. The back end also struggled with missed tackles, allowing too much after the catch.
The group was already a weak spot to begin the season, and against the Rams and Patriots, it showed again. The unit settled in somewhat after halftime, but Stafford still finished the first half 17-for-19.
The bigger-picture issue, though, is what the offense is becoming with Cousins at quarterback. He didn’t really do anything wrong against the Rams, but the setup around him is clearly constraining what this offense can do.
Any pressure quickly shrinks his margin for success. The offensive line has done enough to avoid heavy sack totals, but it has also given up plenty of pressure all season, cutting into the time Cousins has to work.
That leaves the Raiders at a crossroads, because the staff has to find a way to win with the roster it has. If the line is too shaky for Cousins to function behind it, then the answer has to be either changing the line or changing the quarterback.
The personnel moves up front have already started. Las Vegas has replaced Jackson Powers-Johnson with Caleb Rogers.
They are not going to bench Kolton Miller or DJ Glaze, and Spencer Burford could be an option somewhere along the line. Beyond that, the only other possible answer mentioned here is rookie offensive lineman Trey Zuhn, but the Raiders spent the offseason moving Zuhn around and have not put him on the field more often, which says plenty about how the staff views the current starters.
If the Raiders can’t do much more to fix the line this season, then the burden shifts to the quarterback spot. They need someone who can move when protection breaks down and who can take off when the lane opens.
Las Vegas does have that kind of player on the roster - a quarterback who is mobile enough to create with his legs, accurate enough to hit difficult throws, and talented enough to do both. The Raiders used the No. 1 pick on him.
That is why this decision keeps circling back to Fernando Mendoza. If Las Vegas wants to keep trying to scrape out wins with Cousins and settle for being competitive against lesser opponents while falling short against better ones, then the veteran should stay in place. If the goal is to actually beat good teams and stay in the playoff race, it is time to make the switch.
The upcoming stretch only sharpens the issue. The Raiders are set to face the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and Denver Broncos next, and all three are good teams.
That means the organization has to decide what it wants this season to be. If the goal is simply to compete, Cousins is the safer choice.
If the goal is to win, Mendoza gives them a better shot.
None of this guarantees success. Mendoza would have his own growing pains, and he would lose games too.
But the argument here is that those struggles would serve the Raiders better in the long run than staying with Cousins. Coming close is not the same as winning, and for Las Vegas, it may already be time to make the move.
In Other News...
Raiders Fourth Straight Loss Exposed Problems Fans Cant Ignore
The recent skid has put the Raiders problems in plain view, and the defensive tape has been especially hard to ignore. Tackling has been sloppy, coverage has broken down too often, and even with some young talent on that side of the ball, the unit has had a hard time finding any sort of stability under defensive coordinator Rob Leonard.
Offensively, the issues have been just as familiar. The offensive line has drawn criticism for poor run blocking and uneven play, leaving the Raiders searching for consistency in a phase that should be helping steady the offense. There are individual performances worth sorting through, but the bigger picture is becoming tougher for fans to dismiss as the losses keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders O-Line Problem May Force A Decision They Can't Delay
The Raiders offensive line has become one of the teams biggest pressure points, and the concern is centered inside. Spencer Burford and Caleb Rogers have both struggled by Pro Football Focus grades, while D.J. Glaze has been the steadiest presence up front this season. When an offensive line starts wobbling on the interior, it usually forces the coaching staff to consider changes quickly, whether that means shuffling roles or looking for a different combination.
Caleb Rogers is now squarely in the conversation as a possible benching candidate, and the Raiders may not have the luxury of waiting long to see if things sort themselves out. The front office is also being linked to a potential move for help, which would add another layer to a situation already demanding attention before the deadline. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the next decision along the line could end up mattering as much as any move it makes this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosbys Recent Dip Is Becoming A Real Raiders Problem
Maxx Crosby has been central to the Raiders defensive identity for years, so when his pressure starts to dry up, it is impossible not to notice. Over the last three weeks, his impact has looked quieter than it did earlier in the season, when he was still getting home and disrupting quarterbacks at a steadier clip. For a team that leans on him to set the tone up front, that kind of drop-off is more than a blip.
The bigger concern is how much he has been on the field while the production has tailed off. The Raiders had tried to manage his workload earlier in the year, a move that seemed aimed at keeping him fresh for the stretch run, but that approach has changed lately. If the recent trend continues, Las Vegas may have to revisit whether more snaps are really helping its best pass rusher, or wearing him down when the defense can least afford it. [Read more 🡒]