A month ago, the Las Vegas Raiders were sitting at a surprising 3-0, having faced the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals. Since then, they have been winless, losing to some of the NFL's most talented teams.

After Sunday's 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Klint Kubiak was asked if he and the staff would consider starting Fernando Mendoza, prompting an answer that still has Raider Nation in a frenzy.

"Yeah, I think we have to go watch the film, and I think at this point we're thinking about everything: how to fix our problems, how to fix our issues in the red zone, in the third quarter, and personnel, scheme," Kubiak said. "We've got to talk about all of it."

While Kubiak clarified on Monday that veteran starter Kirk Cousins would remain there with no controversy, it doesn't resolve the discussion as the Raiders continue to lose games. In the coming weeks, whether they win or lose, the team faces a dilemma about who the starter will be, and it will only get louder as the losses mount.

Cousins' Self-Awareness and Consistency

You might be asking why there is a dilemma. Cousins is third in the NFL in passing yards (1,877) and leads the league in touchdown passes (16) while throwing only five interceptions. The Raiders' passing game has been impressive despite not having a difference-maker at wide receiver and two of them at tight end with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.

Cousins is playing well, and he knows it, too. Yet, the losses keep raining down, and the struggles are apparent on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches and behind a young secondary. Cousins knew when he signed with the Raiders back in April that being benched for Mendoza was a serious possibility at some point during the season.

"I mean, nothing changes in the sense that if I'm not the best option, then I don't want to be out there either. I want our football team to have the best chance to win games. And if the first OTA, if that had become apparent, I would have been the first one to say, 'Yeah, you can't play me.'

"So nothing changes and the organization will do what they feel is best. But I feel that Fernando's done a great job and has a bright future ahead. I'm going to try to go out there and play as well as I possibly can, help us win, and give him a great example to learn from until he does go out there eventually."

Cousins can only do so much at age 38, and he doesn't exactly move well either. He is not as great as his minority owner, Tom Brady, was at this stage of his career, and Cousins has shown regression in some areas of his game, despite his incredible production at the start of the year. Yet, he continues to produce, hasn't had a game where he outright cost his team the game, and has been consistent.

The Dilemma Between Cousins and Mendoza

In more ways than one, Cousins has been exactly what you want in a bridge quarterback. He is allowing Mendoza to learn on the sideline, where he consistently has a helmet on, listening to the play calls and the operation pre- and post-snap.

Yet, the dilemma remains with Cousins' consistency and Kubiak pursuit of wins. The Raiders could win this weekend against the New York Jets and move to 4-4, returning themselves to the mix for at least a wild card spot midway through the year. It would be hard to make a change if the momentum shifts with a much-needed win on the road.

Mendoza needs the reps, though. It would be great if he didn't play the rest of the way, but that's not why the Raiders drafted him, and they expect to play him this season. It is rare nowadays that the No. 1 overall draft selection doesn't play an entire regular season regardless of the results of the campaign.

No. 15 offers incredible traits and tools that could make him one of the league's best passers and take the Raiders to places they haven't been in decades. His arm, arrogance, willingness to work through progressions and find answers, and size are due to see the field and not just in relief late in the fourth quarter down multiple scores; to start and play games.

"Yeah, eventually Fernando is going to play football. We have a plan," Kubiak said. "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.”

Kubiak and general manager John Spytek need to see what their future holds and where Mendoza needs to grow. I think starting him at some point this season is the right direction to go, even if Cousins continues to play well and doesn't make bad decisions in this offensive system.

The Raiders want to see Mendoza at some point, as do fans. When Kubiak knows it's time, we'll know.