Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rolled into Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday and beat the Las Vegas Raiders 35-21, putting questions in the air about the Raiders’ starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

The Raiders have now lost four straight games after starting the 2026 season 3-0, dropping them to 3-4. With Cousins not able to push Las Vegas into the win column recently, some NFL observers and a few Raiders fans are calling for a change at the position.

Fans Want Raiders to Change QBs

Waiting in the wings is the 2026 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He was not named the team’s starting quarterback before the season, opening the year behind Cousins as he adjusted to the NFL.

Right now, though, could Mendoza find his way onto the field next week as the Las Vegas quarterback? Cousins completed 26 of 44 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 94.4 passer rating. According to the PFN NFL QB Impact Metric, Cousins has a grade of 78.7, which ranks 13th at his position.

After the game, Sam Warren, who covers the Raiders for The Athletic, posted Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s thoughts on when he might start Mendoza.

“I think at this point, we’re thinking about everything,” Kubiak said. “How to fix our problems, how to fix our issues in the red zone, in the third quarter. Personnel, scheme, we’ve got to talk about all of it.”

An NFL observer who follows the Raiders closely is calling for a quarterback change. The observer posted online, “The #Raiders need to switch to Fernando Mendoza. Kirk Cousins cannot move at all and it’s hurting this offense.”

Another NFL fan suggests that Las Vegas should trade defensive star Maxx Crosby right now and give the offense’s keys to Mendoza. The fan wrote, “Trade Maxx. Put the kid in. The greatness of the Raiders is in its future.”

For this NFL fan, watching the Raiders struggle at Allegiant Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was just a bit too much. The fan posted online, “Embarrassing effort at home. It’s time to be sellers at the trade deadline. It’s time to see Mendoza.”

Raiders Beat’s account on X also believes that it is time for a change, benching Cousins in favor of Mendoza. The account posted, “Time for Fernando Mendoza. Not Cousins’ fault. See what Mendoza can do in a game still within reach. He can get valuable reps and maybe spark the offense.”

As for this fan, Cousins just looks too old out there to still start at quarterback for an NFL team. The fan wrote, “I’ve seen enough start Fernando Mendoza. Kirk Cousins is too old”.

Another Raiders fan is already making the call for the team if they are not ready to pull the trigger and start Mendoza. The fan posted online, “It’s time to start Fernando Mendoza. I’ve seen enough of Kirk Cousins. Make him the starter by tomorrow.”

Despite Cousins’ decent numbers against the Rams, that’s not good enough for this person who follows the team. This fan wrote, “Raiders play the Jets next Sunday. They’ve lost 4 in a row & Cousins just played his worst game of the season. It’s time to start Mendoza (for) the rest of the season… Fernando’s ability to run might’ve helped since Cousins can’t run.”

So, it appears this will be a wait-and-see week for Raiders fans. They’ll be watching to see whether Mendoza gets the call against the Jets instead of Cousins, with Kubiak leaving the door open to personnel changes after Sunday’s loss.