Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza? Las Vegas Raiders surprisingly decline to name regular-season starting QB

Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak is either playing some sort of mind game or he sincerely is torn about naming a starting quarterback to open the regular season.

That's the only way to view this after the coach on Thursday night (actually Friday morning) declined to say what everyone assumes — that Kirk Cousins is the Las Vegas starter to open the season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept.

13.

"You know, we got another week playing," Kubiak told reporters after his team's preseason game against the Houston Texans.

"I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job.

"It should always be that way from all positions.

So, you know, we'll just keep going forward." FERNANDO MENDOZA THROWS PICK SIX IN SECOND NFL GAME The Raiders are heading toward their preseason finale next Thursday without naming a starting quarterback for the regular season.

Kubiak apparently wants to keep Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza guessing about their status on the depth chart.

HOW KIRK COUSINS AND FERNANDO MENDOZA ARE BUILDING 'GREAT' RELATIONSHIP THROUGH RAIDERS WORK, FAITH AND MORE And the entire rest of the Earth is thinking, "Really, coach?" Just last week, Kubiak made it seem like Cousins was the leader in the proverbial clubhouse for the starting job.

"I think he's had a solid training camp and it's his job to lose," Kubiak said of Cousins.

RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR AN NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY TO 'MR BRADY' And one week later, when all Cousins did was watch from the sideline while Mendoza started and then gave way to third-stringer Aidan O'Connell in the second half, Kubiak's changing course? What exactly did Cousins do to lose the job while not playing? Did he eat too much in the pregame meal? Kubiak himself said Cousins "did some good things" against the Texans in their joint practice on Tuesday.

And, admittedly, Cousins did have a cringe moment when he threw a pick six in that practice.

RAIDERS FRANCHISE THAT ONCE EMBRACED AN OUTLAW IMAGE NOW HAS 'NO TURDS,' COACH KLINT KUBIAK SAYS But guess what? Mendoza threw a pick six in Thursday's game against the same team's backup players.

"It was not a good throw," Mendoza said of the pass that probably should have gone to the open receiver in the flat instead.