Raiders’ Kubiak addresses QB situation with date vs Seahawks coming up

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak, before even taking questions, opened his weekly news conference Monday by affirming that Kirk Cousins remains the starting quarterback and “there is no controversy.”

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Kubiak wanted to quell any talk that rookie Fernando Mendoza, the top pick in the NFL draft, would be handed the reins when Las Vegas visits the New York Jets on Sunday.

“Eventually, Fernando is going to play football,” Kubiak said. “We have a plan. We don’t have a timeline for that. Kirk is playing really well, and we’re in the hunt. It’s really important that we keep playing really well behind him and continue to develop Fernando, but Fernando is going to play at some point. It’s not going to be this week.”

It’s been a guessing game around the league when the Raiders would turn to Mendoza. Las Vegas’ four-game losing streak certainly increased such chatter as the Raiders (3-4) dropped below .500 for the first time since hiring Kubiak, who was offensive coordinator last season for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (who will come to Vegas on Nov. 15).

But Raiders general manager John Spytek has made clear this won’t be a quick turnaround for a franchise that has made just two playoff appearances since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. And the four teams the Raiders just lost to — Kansas City, New England, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams — show the gap that still needs to be made up.

Three of those teams are among the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl, and the Patriots made it to the big game last season. The Raiders played the Chiefs and Bills to within a field goal, but they were blown out by the Patriots and Rams.

As far as a big-picture look at where the franchise stands, Kubiak said the team was focused on trying to “win the next game.”

“We’ve played very talented teams and played much more competitive games than that,” Kubiak said, referring to Sunday’s 35-21 loss to the Rams. “When you start the game that slow, you put yourself in position to be behind that much, you don’t give yourself a chance to win.”

Los Angeles took a 28-6 halftime lead and then held off a second-half surge by Las Vegas.

The Raiders have issues throughout their lineup that go beyond what a potential quarterback change could help solve. Cousins leads the league with 16 touchdown passes, and his 97.4 passer rating is his highest since 2023.

That’s even with a nearly nonexistent running game, an offensive line that has struggled to open holes and fend off pass rushers and a defense that’s having trouble getting off the field.

“He’s the leader of the team, a guy that touches the ball every play,” Kubiak said of Cousins. “So it’s important that the team knows where we’re going.”

Seattle Sports staff made minor additions to this post.

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