The Las Vegas Raiders earned their first victory of the season in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. Kirk Cousins was a catalyst for the win, as he played soundly under center for Las Vegas.
Grade: B-
Cousins play warranted a ‘B-‘ on the day. He completed 21-30 passes for 160 yards and threw three touchdowns in the 27-13 victory over the Dolphins despite throwing two interceptions.
He opened the afternoon in rhythm, completing his first 10 attempts and guiding a 16-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a touchdown connection to receiver Jack Bech. He got all of his receivers involved early, including Bech, Michael Mayer, Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker and Malik Benson with Brock Bowers out.
The veteran Cousins also connected well with running back Ashton Jeanty,
whose work as a receiver gave the Raiders crucial production near the goal line. Las Vegas complemented Cousins’ passing effort with a coordinated offensive front led by coach Klint Kubiak that kept Miami at bay.
Cousins’ completion rate, ability to find his targets liberally, and his touchdown throws in key situations outweighed the errors that he committed in the game.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Grading QB Kirk Cousins first Raiders start Week 1 vs Dolphins
