Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns and powered the Las Vegas Raiders to a 38-33 comeback victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
The win snaps a four-game skid for the Raiders (4-4), who dug themselves out of a nine-point halftime deficit. Las Vegas allowed New York to score on its first six possessions before sealing the win in the game’s closing seconds.
Cousins and the Wellness Celebration
The defining visual of the afternoon belonged to the quarterback. After plunging in for a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to pull Las Vegas within two points, the 38-year-old Cousins dropped to a crouch near the sideline and flapped his right elbow like a chicken wing.
Stanky elbow ®️ https://t.co/srqiRD6Mgh
“I call that my wellness celebration,” Cousins told reporters after the game. “We do a lot of tissue work here. At my age, it’s especially helpful. … So I said someday if I run a touchdown in, I’m going to give a shoutout to all the staff that works so hard to help us feel good and be one of the healthier teams in the league.”
The idea nearly went unexecuted until Brock Bowers stepped in. “Brock, who doesn’t say much,” Cousins recalled with a grin, “goes: ‘Hit them with the wellness celebration!’”
Bowers caught two touchdown passes from Cousins. Cousins finished the day completing 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards. Meanwhile, rookie Mike Washington Jr. ran for 83 yards on 25 carries.
Trading Blows and Special Teams Sparks
The contest unfolded as a back-and-forth affair. The Jets (2-6) capitalized early, opening with a 21-yard field goal by Jason Sanders before Cousins found Bowers for a 12-yard score on third-and-goal.
New York answered with another Sanders field goal and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Isaiah Williams. But the momentum swung sharply when Las Vegas returner Dylan Laube fielded the ensuing kickoff and blazed 95 yards downfield for a touchdown.
The play marked the first kickoff returned for a touchdown in the NFL this season and the first of Laube’s three-year career, putting the Raiders ahead 14-13.
Smith kept the Jets rolling with an over-the-shoulder fade to Adonai Mitchell on fourth-and-1, pushing New York ahead 20-14. The Jets managed their first points this season in the final two minutes of the first half, tacking on a 39-yard field goal to hold a 23-14 edge at the break.
The Fourth-Quarter Pivot and Defensive Climax
Las Vegas methodically chipped away in the second half. Trailing 30-28 in the fourth quarter, Cousins flipped a short screen pass to Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty stumbled and then zipped downfield for 45 yards that set up the Raiders at the Jets 13-yard line.
Five plays later, Cousins located Jalen Nailor for a 2-yard go-ahead touchdown pass, giving Las Vegas a 35-30 advantage with 11:33 remaining.
“Ashton is still going to be a big part of our team,” coach Klint Kubiak said. “He made a huge catch. He’s going to be a huge part of our run game going forward.”
After a 31-yard field goal by Sanders narrowed the gap, Matt Gay answered with a 53-yard field goal for Las Vegas with 31 seconds left on the clock. The Jets got the ball at their 35 with 27 seconds left and a 15-yard catch by Garrett Wilson and an unnecessary roughness call on Jeremy Chinn put the ball at the Raiders 35. On the final snap with 14 seconds left, Smith’s throw into the end zone was picked off by Chinn.
“It’s an understatement to say that we’re all disappointed in the way this one ended,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said, “with not getting a victory in this game.”
Smith finished 20 of 32 for 290 yards with two touchdowns and the interception. Braelon Allen ran for 147 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for the Jets, who have dropped three in a row.
The Raiders now sit at .500 in November, setting their sights on a matchup against the 49ers in San Francisco next Sunday. The Jets will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs next Sunday.
