The preseason is in full swing, and given that we've been starved for football ever since Super Bowl LX, folks are chomping at the bit to dissect every last second of this slew of exhibitions. While we applaud the eagerness, let's remember that these games don't actually count towards a team's chances of pushing for a playoff berth. That said, there is plenty to glean from these games when we dig a little deeper than simply the final results.
With this being a period of the NFL calendar where you need to sift through the storylines a bit more to find any true nuggets that'll impact the 2026 campaign, allow us to help sort through the chaos. Below, we'll tackle some of the biggest storylines/takeaways that have come out of the first week of the preseason and determine if they are an overreaction or something we should take more seriously. Fernando Mendoza looked every bit the part of a consensus No. 1 overall pick during his preseason debut on Thursday.
The Raiders rookie completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. In the process of piling up that stat line, Mendoza flashed his elite precision with some tight window throws, including a 6-yard touchdown to wideout Jack Bech. Fernando Mendoza threading the needle!Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/PC9UPZvRxA FERNANDO MENDOZA FIRST RAIDERS TDStream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/G8F3FQt60C That showing only had the drum beating louder for Mendoza to leapfrog Kirk Cousins on the depth chart and start right out of the gate for Las Vegas.
While the excitement around the No. 1 overall pick is warranted, thrusting him up to QB1 after that performance would be premature. This is a slow, methodical build-up for Mendoza, and the Raiders' decision-makers have been pretty steadfast in their belief that the best way to usher a young quarterback into the NFL is to have him begin the season behind an established veteran. They have that in Kirk Cousins, and head coach Klint Kubiak even acknowledged recently that the QB1 job for Week 1 is Cousins' to lose.
It's only a matter of time before the keys are officially handed over to Mendoza, but it appears like Kubiak will slow-play this ascension even amid encouraging progress in the preseason and growing external clamoring for the future to start now. For the bulk of training camp, the narrative surrounding the San Francisco 49ers has centered around the growing number of injuries. However, as the Niners have begun the preseason, they are getting a far more optimistic storyline that's developing in the wide receiver room.
Second-rounder De'Zhaun Stribling has been putting together a strong camp, and the general NFL-viewing public got a peek behind the curtain of a possible breakout rookie season in the preseason opener against the Titans. In just one half of play, Stribling caught seven of his eight targets on the night for 63 yards. That included a number of contested catches that'll certainly catch the attention of the Bay Area.
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