The Jets’ next test could come with a fresh face under center for Las Vegas, but it’s not a done deal yet. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that Kirk Cousins will start in Week 8 and Fernando Mendoza will be the backup, even after Kubiak said after the loss to the Los Angeles Rams that the team was "thinking about everything."
That matters because Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, has not started an NFL game and has only appeared in relief of Cousins so far. If Cousins falters again, the rookie may not have to wait much longer before getting his first start. For the Jets, that could mean another awkward date with a quarterback situation they’d probably rather avoid.
New York is coming off a home loss to the previously winless Miami Dolphins, and now it gets a Raiders team that started 3-0 before dropping four straight. Jets fans might also get their first extended look at Mendoza if Kubiak finally turns the page, even if only for a series or two after a shaky Cousins outing.
There’s some precedent here for the Jets being the backdrop when a top pick gets his moment. Baker Mayfield stepped in for Tyrod Taylor in a Thursday night game that ended with Sam Darnold and the Browns beating New York in prime time and snapping their infamous losing streak.
Kubiak may prefer not to hand the offense over to a young quarterback unless he has to, which helps explain why Cousins is still listed as the starter. But the fit is far from ideal if the veteran is the one steering the ship.
Cousins doesn’t have the mobility to escape pressure, Ashton Jeanty has not been running the ball as well as expected, and the wide receiver group is still thin. Mendoza, by contrast, could give the Raiders exactly the kind of jolt they’ve been missing.
That possibility gets more interesting because the Jets’ defense has started to come back to earth after spending much of the year outperforming expectations. The defensive line is getting essentially no pressure unless David Bailey is making something happen, the secondary has had serious coverage busts, and the takeaways still aren’t coming.
If Mendoza gets on the field, his arm talent, accuracy from the pocket and willingness to lean on playmakers like Brock Bowers could create problems for a Jets defense that let Greg Dulcich run free all game long.
Bailey has still been one of the better stories on the Jets’ side, and he looks like a real defensive cornerstone in his rookie season. But the bigger picture in this matchup is hard to miss: being a few percentage points worse through a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker can be the difference between landing a franchise quarterback and getting stuck with a veteran bridge.
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