The Raiders opened 3-0 with Kirk Cousins, then slid into a losing streak that put No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza in the starting conversation. Getting back up with a win over the New York Jets, the Raiders fell to the San Francisco 49ers in a disappointing 38-17 loss. Head coach Klint Kubiak began his post-game conference with a key problem in which Cousins also played a part.

“If you turn the ball over five times, you’re not going to win, ever,” Klint Kubiak said. “Didn’t do a good job stopping them in the first half, turned it over five times in the second half. Credit to the 49ers. They played a really good game.”

Right at the beginning of the second half, Cousins fumbled the ball, recovered it, and then immediately threw an interception. The quarterback also threw two more picks in the game.

“We got to go back and look at every single one of them,” Kubiaks added. “But you know, when you’re in position to throw the ball every down starting in the second quarter, you’re going to throw interceptions. So, we have to find balance on our team. That’s not a new topic.”

Kirk Cousins had been giving the Raiders just what they hoped for this season, which is why Sunday’s 38-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers stung. He has started all nine games so far, and for most of that stretch, he played steady, productive football.

Cousins finished 22 of 32 for 216 yards and a touchdown. But of those three interceptions, two of them came in the fourth quarter. Afterward, he was candid about what went wrong.

“Sometimes when you get behind, you try to get it all back in one play, and it’s hard to be patient,” Cousins said. “I just probably needed to be a little more patient and be OK with not getting it all back at one time, which is hard to do. You want to get your team back in the game quick.”

It was his worst game of the year, and it landed at an awkward time. Through eight games, he had completed 180 of 283 passes for 2,124 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, with 11 sacks and a 101.4 average passer rating. His yardage ranks third in the league and his touchdown total ranks second. His QBR of 61.7 sits 13th.

The offense now ranks sixth in points per game after finishing dead last in 2025, a big reason some in Las Vegas still believe the playoffs are within reach. The team reportedly has no interest in trading him at the deadline either.

Not everyone buys that outlook. CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco thinks the Raiders should stop waiting and turn to Fernando Mendoza.

“Now is the time,” Prisco said on NFL Postgame. “The Raiders aren’t going to the postseason. They’re not getting to the playoffs. And so, get on with it, and bring Fernando Mendoza in and let him play. I think this is the moment when you need to start doing that. … It is officially Fernando Mendoza time for the Raiders.”

There is a football case behind that argument. Defenses are expected to keep pressuring Cousins and exploit his limited rushing skills, while Mendoza can make plays with his legs, and he’s also got a pretty solid arm, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden.

The team also likes what it sees from the No. 1 overall pick behind the scenes.

In his debut on the final possession against New England, Mendoza hit 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards while being blitzed on 22.2% of his dropbacks, per ESPN. Quarterback coach Mike Sullivan says Mendoza has grown in his command of the offense and his communication at the line of scrimmage.

Analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on Move The Sticks that the Raiders would be “patient” about starting the rookie QB. If at all the Raiders choose to go with Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah suspected it might not happen until 10 games. By that time, whether Cousins can survive the heat of the schedule will also be proven.

It had seemed all offseason that the Raiders were going to have Mendoza sit out and learn from Cousins, who was delivering what was asked. But after the loss to the 49ers, the veteran will have to make sure this was just another blip.

So the Raiders face a real decision. Cousins has earned plenty of credit, but after his latest outing, it may be the right moment to see what the rookie can do.