3 Surprising Stats from Kirk Cousins’ Dominance Over Chargers

In Week 1, Cousins was a disaster throwing downfield. He completed just 1 of his 7 passes beyond 10 yards, while two of them were picked off by Miami. 

But Cousins flipped the script in Week 2. Cousins was 8 of 12 for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns when throwing passes at least 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He was picked off one time, but that was primarily because Tre Tucker fell down running his route. 

But Tucker made up for it by being an excellent deep threat. Tucker hauled in five catches for 119 yards, including a 42 yarder and a 40-yard touchdown. 

Cousins will likely settle somewhere in between his first two performances. Anything Cousins produces down the field will make the rest of the offense better. 

8 Quarterback Hits 

Cousins was knocked around by the Chargers defense a lot. He was only sacked twice, but the Chargers put him on the ground constantly. 

Los Angeles racked up eight quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus. It was a stark contrast from the season opener where Miami didn’t record a single quarterback hit in Week 1. 

Cousins got up every time he was knocked down, but the pressure could take its toll on the 38-year-old quarterback. The Raiders have Fernando Mendoza as the backup, but the organization would prefer to wait for the rookie to develop before he has to play. 

If Cousins keeps getting pummeled, Mendoza could find himself on the field quicker than expected. 

8 Teammates

Cousins targeted 10 different receivers on Sunday. Only eight Raiders caught a pass, but Cousins was spreading the ball around. 

Most surprising was practice squad call up Cody White catching two touchdowns on Sunday. White only played seven offensive snaps, but Cousins found him in the end zone twice. 

While Tucker was the deep threat, Ashton Jeanty and Michael Mayer were the most common targets underneath. Mayer had three catches for 23 yards in a timid performance, while Jeanty dropped 3 of his 7 targets. 

Jalen Nailor, Dareke Young, Jack Bech and Ian Thomas all combined to catch five more passes. 

The Raiders have played their first two games without Brock Bowers. Once he returns, he will dominate the targets from Cousins. But so far the veteran quarterback has done enough to use all of his weapons.