After the Las Vegas Raiders finished their preseason slate Friday night, head coach Klint Kubiak still wouldn't name a starting quarterback, and he didn't inspire confidence that his rookie QB would get to start this season either. The Raiders fell 18-12 to the San Francisco 49ers, and Mendoza struggled in his third preseason appearance. The No. 1 pick completed 8 of 11 passes for just 51 yards and an interception, also getting sacked twice.
Following the loss, Kubiak addressed the media and gave his honest assessment of Mendoza's latest outing, suggesting the rookie still needs more work to be ready for playing in the regular season. "He needs another three preseason games. Now that the preseason's ended, the practice reps get smaller, and that's just life," Kubiak said, also adding the coaches have to "get him ready to play." More news: Ben Johnson Fires Back at Media Over Bears Coverage Ahead of Season Kubiak agreed with a reporter that Mendoza's performance is a "blessing in Fernando's learning curve," adding that he learns from his own reps, veteran Kirk Cousins' reps, and backup Aiden O'Connell's reps.
The Raiders coach said he would "love to play him the whole game," but clearly there's also the potential for injury and other concerns about keeping the rookie out there. That said, Kubiak would not officially name a starter at his latest press conference, instead dropping a surprising statement regarding the ongoing competition as the regular season approaches. "I still don't think we need to name anybody.
We have a lot to talk about at a lot of positions, so we want to watch the film and talk about everything as a staff," Kubiak told reporters, per ESPN. Most believe Cousins should and will be the starter when the team takes the field for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. However, Kubiak's statement leaves the door open for debate about whether Mendoza will get any starts this season.
It's worth noting he didn't have the benefit of the starting offensive line in front of him while attempting to throw or getting sacked. That might change how he performs, or he legitimately still needs time. There had been previous speculation that the Raiders' rookie could start around Week 8.
Still, the head coach's assessment doesn't appear to suggest that Mendoza is ready to lead this team on the field just yet. With the preseason completed, the Raiders next take on the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday, Sept. 13, beginning at 1 p.m. More news: Josh Allen Gives Honest Assessment of Aaron Rodgers Before Final Season For more about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
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