Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has played with his share of big-time pass catchers throughout his 15-year career.

He’s now connecting with Brock Bowers on a weekly basis, with Bowers catching seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 38-33 victory over the Jets.

But even though Bowers is technically a tight end, Cousins related throwing to him to passing to an elite wide receiver.

“I think what’s hard is when you play with Pierre Garçon, DeSean Jackson, or Justin Jefferson, you’re used to throwing to guys who are really open,” Cousins said in his postgame press conference. “There were times, even when they would get doubled and I would progress off of them, and [Vikings head coach] Kevin O’Connell would say to me, ‘Still throw it to Justin when he’s covered.’ I was like, ‘I don’t like throwing to covered guys. I like throwing to open guys.’

“The coaching point with Brock has been like it was with Justin, where it’s like, when he’s covered, you still need to throw it. That kind of breaks my instincts. My instincts are to progress and throw to open guys. I think you can see there are moments this year where I can be better, and then there are moments where I’m starting to figure that out. He’s made me right, if you will.”

That coaching point sure seemed relevant for Cousins’ first touchdown of the game, when Bowers was covered and interfered with, but still managed to catch the ball for a 12-yard score.

Through six games this season, Bowers has 41 receptions for 547 yards with five touchdowns.