Las Vegas Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza got his second chance to shine in a preseason game, stepping onto the field as his team's starter against the Houston Texans. Unfortunately, Thursday night's performance featured several more mistakes than Mendoza had made in the previous game against the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie threw a costly pick-six in the first half and was later sacked for a loss of 11 yards on a play.
The Raiders came away with a 22-20 win, but it wasn't all pretty for Mendoza, with most of the team's scoring in the second half once Mendoza was on the sidelines and backup Aidan O'Connell was playing. After the game, head coach Klint Kubiak got honest about the No. 1 pick's performance. "I think plenty to clean up, plenty to get better at, you know, plenty that we can do better for him as coaches, plenty that he can learn from," Kubiak said, adding, "But what great heart we showed in the second half.
Really proud of our guys." More news: Robert Griffin III Sends Message to Fernando Mendoza for Raiders Season Mendoza's final stat line included completing 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards. His interception came in the first quarter when linebacker Wade Woodaz, a rookie from Ohio State, seized the opportunity to intercept the ball from the former Indiana QB, then took the ball down the field 80 yards for the score. That built Houston's first-half lead to 14-0, since Woody Marks had already scored a rushing touchdown during the team's opening drive.
On the opening drive, starter CJ Stroud also played well, going 4 of 6 for 27 yards in his brief time on the field, with Marks running it in to finish things off. Regarding Mendoza, Thursday night's game was another step for the rookie's gradual acclimation to playing against NFL competition. While both are preseason games, he's started facing a major step up from what he previously faced in college.
That said, Mendoza should improve over time and has shown a lot to be impressed by, with his comfort in reading what the defense presents and finding teammates with impressive throws. Asked whether it was "safe to say" Kirk Cousins will be the Raiders' Week 1 starter, Kubiak would not go that far, explaining the QB competition is still in progress. "You know, we got another week we're playing.
I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job. That's how it should always be. It should always be that way from all positions," Kubiak said when asked about Cousins being the team's Week 1 starter.
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