The Las Vegas Raiders got a much different version of Kirk Cousins in Week 2.
One week after Cousins went 1-for-7 with two interceptions on throws of 10-plus air yards, he was far sharper in the Raiders' win over the Los Angeles Chargers. On deep attempts, Cousins finished 8-for-12 for 181 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, a clear jump in effectiveness that changed how the offense looked from the start of the game to the finish.
The shift did not happen by accident. After the Raiders' season-opening victory over the Dolphins, Klint Kubiak told Cousins to “chunk it deep,” and after Week 1 he said the offense needed a vertical stretch to open things up. Against the Chargers, the Raiders did exactly that.
How the Raiders opened up the field
Cousins' biggest throws against Los Angeles all came through the air and all helped create space. He hit Tre Tucker for a 40-yard touchdown, found Tucker again for a 40-plus-yard gain before halftime, connected with Dareke Young on a fourth-down trick play, and later threw a 13-yard touchdown to Cody White.
That sequence mattered because it forced the Chargers to defend the full field. Instead of a short, controlled passing game, the Raiders used vertical shots and a designed deep look to stress the secondary. Kubiak said Cousins “did a really good job of pushing the ball down the field,” adding that it is “something you're trying to do every weekend.”
For a 15-year pro and 38-year-old quarterback, that kind of response matters. Cousins did not just add explosive plays; he showed the Raiders a way to keep defenses honest when they load up against the underneath game. He also described one of the key moments himself, saying, “I could see Reke over the field and knew I had to chuck and duck and that's what I did.”
Tre Tucker led the way
No receiver benefited more than Tre Tucker. His 40-yard touchdown gave the Raiders an immediate deep threat, and the 40-plus-yard gain before halftime kept the pressure on the Chargers. Those plays were the clearest signs that the vertical game was working as intended.
The trick play to Dareke Young also showed the Raiders were willing to vary how they attacked downfield, not just rely on one route concept or one target. And when Cousins found Cody White for the 13-yard touchdown, the connection capped a game in which the passing game finally looked like a source of big-play momentum rather than a problem that needed managing.
Kubiak said of Cousins, “He's a competitor, he wants to win. That's why he's here,” and also called one of the big late throws to Tre “a big time throw.” He later described the play design as “phenomenal,” while Cousins said, “I was really pleased with that design and having the play ready to go in a big part of the game.”
There is still a larger picture here. The Raiders plan to eventually cede the offense to Fernando Mendoza, so this is not just about one strong performance from Cousins. It is about what the Raiders can do right now, and whether the vertical passing game can keep working as a weekly feature. After Week 2, the answer at least looked a lot more encouraging than it did in Week 1.
