Fernando Mendoza impressed in his Las Vegas Raiders debut, completing five straight passes. Could the rookie be putting pressure on Kirk Cousins sooner than expected?
Mendoza made his NFL debut in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, and his first drive was a clean one. He completed his first five career passes on five consecutive plays: 2 yards to Dylan Laube, 9 to Ian Thomas, 16 to Tre Tucker, 8 to Deven Thompkins and 7 to Laube. Mendoza finished that drive 6-of-8 for 48 yards and added 3 yards rushing. “It’s a good experience,” he said afterward. “Every rookie has it at some point, so it was just that time.” He added that he was “really proud of how the offense rallied even late in the game.”
The context matters here, folks. Mendoza is the No. 1 pick, so every snap is a data point on the franchise’s biggest investment, and this first look was encouraging: completions spread across four targets, plus enough mobility to pick up yards with his legs.
The caveat is the setting…
Those snaps came in garbage time, so this is promising tape, not a verdict. The depth chart is also unchanged. The coach confirmed Cousins remains the starter, even as some fans online have begun calling for a switch, citing Cousins’ deep ball and mobility. That is fan opinion, not a team position, but it shows how quickly a rookie’s cameo can fuel a quarterback debate.
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Mendoza will keep working behind Cousins while the Raiders turn quickly to Buffalo, who visit Las Vegas next Sunday. The debut gives the staff a small but real sample of how he operates with Laube, Thomas, Tucker and Thompkins. His postgame tone also stood out: he framed the day as part of every rookie’s path and credited the offense for its effort at the end, rather than pointing to his own numbers.
Expect Cousins to start against Buffalo, with Mendoza likely to see more practice work in the meantime, but another stalled offensive stretch would make the calls for the rookie much harder for the staff to ignore.
Should the Raiders stick with Cousins as their starter, or has Mendoza’s performance during one drive provided enough evidence for him to earn a legitimate opportunity for the position?
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images