The 2023 Las Vegas Raiders were a classic case of too little, too late. After a 3-5 start to the season that culminated with the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels after a disastrous Monday Night loss to the Detroit Lions, the Raiders have stabilized and found an identity under interim head coach Antonio Pierce.
They have only gone 4-4 under Pierce’s stewardship since his Week 9 debut, but they have also posted the league’s third-best defense in terms of EPA allowed per play in that span behind only the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears. Yes, that stretch has included going against the likes of Tommy DeVito, Zach Wilson, Nick Mullens and Easton Stick, but the Raiders have also played against Patrick Mahomes twice in this stretch and held the high-flying Miami Dolphins to only 20 points.
It is a real shame that Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles this season because he was playing arguably the best ball of his career. Cousins has always put up stats, but the numbers he was putting up this season directly translated to the Minnesota Vikings winning games. Cousins ranks fifth in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks in EPA (Expected Points Added) plus CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expectation) composite score. The only quarterbacks ahead of him? Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, and Josh Allen. That’s not a bad list to be a part of.
Cousins may be slated to be a free agent, but the Vikings do not have an heir apparent at the position in tow at the moment. It’s more than possible that the Vikings retain Cousins, and he’s their guy again for the foreseeable future. But the Raiders are in a similar boat. Aidan O’Connell has had his moments this season, but he ranks 46th among 49 qualified quarterbacks that have played at least 100 plays this season in that same EPA plus CPOE composite score stat. He also ranks 36th in QBR and his 6.3 yards per attempt is nothing to write home about despite having a plethora of weapons like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Jacobs and Michael Mayer to his disposal.
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