Kirk Cousins Throws 3 TDs, Passes John Elway for 301 Career Touchdown Passes in Raiders Debut

Kirk Cousins is now 15th all-time in touchdown passes, and he made sure everyone knew he wasn't losing sleep over it.

The 38-year-old Raiders quarterback threw three touchdown passes in Las Vegas's 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins in the season opener, according to the Associated Press via WUSA9. Two went to rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and one to receiver Jack Bech, per multiple outlets including Yahoo Sports and Sportsnet. That gave Cousins 301 career touchdown passes, one ahead of Hall of Famer John Elway, who finished his career with exactly 300.

Cousins became the 15th quarterback in NFL history to reach 300 career touchdown passes, joining a list that includes Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Dan Marino, according to Yahoo Sports and The Big Lead.

Asked about it mic'd up on the field afterward, Cousins didn't hide the fact that he knew exactly what he'd done. "Yeah, thank you, yeah. I just passed John Elway, I think," he said, according to the New York Post. Then came the punchline: "It's a decent name. He had a decent career."

ftw.usatoday called it "the most unsubtle humblebrag of all time" and said Cousins is "such a goober." That's a fair read. Elway is a Hall of Famer, a two-time Super Bowl champion, and one of the most respected quarterbacks to ever play the position. Cousins joking that he "had a decent career" is the kind of deadpan self-deprecation that only works because everyone in the stadium knows Elway's résumé speaks for itself.

The Stat Line Behind the Milestone

Cousins completed 21 of 30 passes for 160 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, per the AP. Not a huge yardage day. He also completed his first 10 passes of the game, according to Sportsnet, before the two picks crept in.

Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, rushed for 102 yards and caught six passes for 45 more, finishing with 147 total yards and two touchdowns. It was his third career 100-yard rushing game, and it came with zero visible effects from an ankle injury he suffered on August 23, according to the AP and Sportsnet.

Las Vegas did it without star tight end Brock Bowers, who sat out after knee surgery, according to Sportsnet. Michael Mayer filled in and caught six passes for 32 yards.

Cousins is the first Raiders quarterback to throw three or more touchdowns in a season opener since Kerry Collins did it against New England in 2005, per the AP.

A Good Debut, Not a Guaranteed Job

This was Cousins's first start after Las Vegas acquired him from Atlanta in the offseason, and the Raiders spent a first-round pick on quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Every outlet covering this game mentioned it, and for good reason.

The California Post's Vincent Bonsignore, cited by the New York Post, pointed out that while Cousins provided veteran leadership and the touchdowns to prove it, he struggled with throws more than 10 yards downfield. That's a key concern for teams evaluating a 38-year-old bridge quarterback: can he still push the ball vertically, or is he limited to the short stuff while a rookie waits in the wings?

New head coach Klint Kubiak, who ran Seattle's offense during its Super Bowl run last season, got the game ball for his first career win, according to Sportsnet. But Kubiak himself wasn't fully satisfied. "We have a lot to get better at, but I'm very excited for our team and our organization," he said. Outside of the final kneel-down drive, the Raiders' last four possessions ended in three punts and an interception.

The offense improved dramatically from a unit that ranked dead last in the league in yardage (245.2 per game) and scoring (14.2 points) last season, putting up 290 total yards in the opener, per the AP.

None of that changes the milestone. Cousins passed Elway, and nobody can take that away from him. What remains unresolved is how long the leash is. Las Vegas is about to play a six-game stretch against Kansas City, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams, among others, that Sportsnet and the AP both flagged as the real test of whether Kubiak's offense and Cousins's arm can hold up against real competition. If the deep ball stays broken, the Mendoza conversation gets louder fast.