Kirk Cousins — Week 1: Three Touchdowns and Two Picks
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Cousins completed twenty-one of thirty throws for a hundred sixty yards and three touchdowns — fifteen yards to Jack Bech on third and four, thirteen to Ashton Jeanty on third and eight, thirteen more to Jeanty in the third quarter — with two interceptions and no sacks. He was fourteen of seventeen before halftime and seven of thirteen after, in a 27–13 win over the Dolphins.
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17 to six, 14 34 left in the third quarter, second and seven at the Las Vegas 38, the second play of the half. Kirk Cousins went deep left for Jack Bech and Michael Taaffe intercepted it at the Miami 46. The throw was worth −4.7 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and −6.9 points of win probability, the chance of winning after the play against before it, the largest swing on any Raiders pass or run all afternoon. The drive it handed Miami ended in Malik Willis's 14-yard touchdown scramble, and an 11-point lead was four. Cousins answered in five plays from midfield, the last of them 13 yards short left to Ashton Jeanty with 10 oh six left, 24 to 13.
The line: 21 of 30, a hundred 60 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, no sacks, +0.4 expected points on 30 pass plays. The first touchdown was 15 yards short middle to Bech on third and four at the Miami 15 with one 38 left in the first quarter; the second, 13 yards short middle to Jeanty on third and eight at the Miami 13 with one 12 left in the half, up 10 to three. 14 of 17 for 96 yards before halftime, seven of 13 for 64 after. Six throws went deep, one was caught, 21 yards to Tre Tucker, and two were the interceptions. The second was second and 14 at the Las Vegas 41 with 11 32 left, up 27 to 13, deep middle for Jalen Nailor, picked off by Dante Trader Jr. at the Miami 42, −4.7 again.
The ball went seven times to Michael Mayer, six to Jeanty, five to Nailor, four each to Tucker and Bech, two to Malik Benson and one to Cody White, and one throw carries no receiver, with Brock Bowers inactive, per Ezekiel Trezevant at Raiders On SI, ruled out with a knee injury on the team's injury report at Raiders.com. The Raiders ran 33 designed runs and one scramble against 30 pass plays: 17 pass plays and 13 designed runs before halftime, 13 20 after it. On third down he threw eight times and completed seven; four of the completions moved the chains, two of them the touchdowns, and a fifth third down was converted by a taunting penalty after an incompletion. All 30 pass plays were his; he was named the starter with rookie Fernando Mendoza the backup, per ESPN, and Mendoza did not take a snap.
Back in June the preview made no call on Cousins: quarterback 35 at pick two 39, an aging pocket passer on a bridge deal in front of a first-overall rookie, a price the preview said the market had right. Sunday was three touchdowns and a 14-point win, with two deep interceptions attached. One game does not change what the job is, and it was his for all of it. Las Vegas is at the Chargers on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
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