Raiders Coach Klint Kubiak Keeps Kirk Cousins as Starter Over Fernando Mendoza Despite Losing Streak

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that Kirk Cousins will remain the starting quarterback for Sunday's Week 8 game against the New York Jets, keeping No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza on the bench. Kubiak opened his weekly news conference by saying "there is no controversy." The announcement came a day after the Raiders fell to 3-4 with a 35-21 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, their fourth straight defeat after a 3-0 start. The other losses were to Buffalo, New England and Kansas City. Kubiak said Cousins, 38, is playing at a very high level and must keep it up for the team to win. He also acknowledged that Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who led Indiana to the national championship, is going to play at some point. Mendoza has not played for most of his rookie season.

The right-leaning Daily Mail and Fox News lead with the losing streak. The Daily Mail's headline says Mendoza was "blocked" again and calls the Jets "woeful." It also cites growing calls for a change and gives Cousins's age and past teams. Fox News uses the same streak framing, adds the 35-21 score and the 3-0 start, and quotes Kubiak via ESPN. It also embeds a promo for a sports-debate show on whether to bench Cousins. The left-leaning New York Times and Washington Post, in the excerpts available, report the decision more plainly. The Times leads with Cousins starting and Mendoza staying the backup, and the Post leads with Kubiak shutting down the quarterback talk. Neither excerpt mentions the losing streak. Everyone agrees on the decision and on Kubiak's "no controversy" message. They differ in whether the loss streak and pressure to start Mendoza lead the story. Yahoo Sports, an independent outlet, stresses Mendoza's résumé.