News: I’m joining @TheAthletic as a staff writer covering the Raiders. Working for The Athletic was a career goal, and earning this opportunity is surreal. Thank you to all who helped make this dream a reality. My first day is Monday. Raider Nation, I can’t wait to get to work!

Kirk Cousins was 9-for-20 for 130 yards and a touchdown against man coverage against the Rams, per TruMedia. His -4.87 total pass EPA against man was his worst mark of the season. He was 17-for-23 for 165 yards and a touchdown against zone. 18 of those attempts came after the Rams built their 28-3 lead.

The Raiders have a 63.2% completion percentage overall this season. Against man coverage, that drops to 48.6%, fourth worst in the NFL. Asked Klint Kubiak why they're struggling against man, and he circled back to their struggles to run the ball. Full answer:

The Raiders are sticking with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback. More on that here, free to read: nytimes.com/athletic/7727433…

The Raiders have now officially designated WR Jack Bech to return to practice from Injured Reserve.

Klint Kubiak, in regards to the quarterback position, said the Raiders are "prioritizing winning the next game." "That's the most important thing to us. We're developing (Fernando Mendoza) along the way. That has not changed. That's been the plan all along."

Klint Kubiak on what will go into the decision to turn to Fernando Mendoza as the starter: "Eventually, Fernando is gonna play football. We have a plan. We don't have a timeline for that. Kirk's playing really well, and we're in the hunt. And it's really important that we keep playing well behind him and continue to develop Fernando. Fernando's gonna play at some point. It's not gonna be this week."

Kubiak's full statement: "I'm gonna let you guys know that Kirk is our starting quarterback. There is no controversy. Kirk is playing at a very high level. And got to continue to do that for us to win. We've got to keep helping all the areas around him. So I'm excited for him to go play here against the Jets."

Klint Kubiak on whether the team will activate Dont'e Thornton Jr. from injured reserve: "That's a decision we don't have to make until Wednesday."

Klint Kubiak said he expects Jack Bech to return to practice this week.

The window to the Fernando Mendoza era is opening for the Raiders. nytimes.com/athletic/7725678…

Raiders HC Klint Kubiak has opened the door to the Fernando Mendoza era. Kirk Cousins isn’t to blame for the team’s four-game skid. But teams are figuring out how to stop him. Mendoza’s skills could counter the strategies, and a switch could be nearing. nytimes.com/athletic/7725678…

Quay Walker said the Raiders defense "energy just wasn't up there" as it allowed 30+ points in it's fourth straight game. "We just got to come out with better energy. Maybe we'll have a good outcome of a game. Not maybe, for sure we will."

Takeaways from the Raiders’ loss to the Rams, falling to 3-4 after a 3-0 start with @NateAtkins_. nytimes.com/athletic/7723992…

Klint Kubiak on when the Raiders start thinking about starting Fernando Mendoza: “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. Personnel, scheme, we’ve got to talk about all of it.”