The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the hottest teams in the NFL to start the season, but are now one of the coldest after back-to-back losses, which included a blowout at the hands of the New England Patriots. The team seemed comfortable playing the whole season without giving rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza any reps, but decided to let him play one drive during the Week 5 loss.
It was a small sample size, but Mendoza looked solid. The Raiders have mostly been very good this season, but the run game is a major problem, and the offensive line seems to be regressing.
If Kirk Cousins is going to get hit as he did against the Patriots, Mendoza is going to start sooner rather than later. In fact, ESPN’s Ben Solak is predicting that Cousins gets one more start against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 and then the Raiders will turn to Mendoza.
“The Raiders might have a solution to this problem: the spry legs of Mendoza that have done little but warm a bench through five weeks,” Solak wrote. “I have no doubt that the Raiders will initially be worse against pressures and blitzes when they first deploy Mendoza. He is a rookie and lacks the Spidey-sense that Cousins has honed over a decade-plus of NFL football. Mendoza will take bad sacks and throw the ball into coverage traps because that’s what rookies do.
“But he’ll also move. He will create second-reaction throws that have yet to exist in this offense. He’ll allow head coach Klint Kubiak to dust off the rollout sections of his playbook, which were so integral for Sam Darnold in Seattle but have been shelved for Cousins in Vegas. Mendoza is not known as an elite mover, but he’s totally functional — and most importantly, leagues ahead of Cousins.”
Cousins Has Played Well Enough to Keep Job
Even in the blowout loss to the Patriots, Cousins wasn’t the problem. He played well enough considering he was pressured on nearly 40% of his dropbacks.
Solak does see the merit in keeping Cousins as the starter, but he also believes that the Raiders could be good enough to warrant speeding things up for Mendoza.
“I won’t be too upset if they keep riding the Cousins train,” Solak wrote. “Like I said, the lack of mobility is a problem but not one that has totally hamstrung an otherwise solid passing attack. The Raiders could defensibly stick with Cousins for another month or two and still prioritize Mendoza’s development over anything else. After all, benching Cousins after Week 6 would give Mendoza to the Rams and (presumably) Myles Garrett in Week 7 — that’s a stiff ask.
“But it’s hard to win those first three games … then lose two … and not wonder if the team is closer to contention than expected. And then not wonder whether Mendoza’s timeline should be accelerated to match.”
Not An Ideal Situation For Mendoza
Before the Raiders make Mendoza their starter, they need to solve the run game. The 82.0 yards per game they are averaging on the ground is fifth-worst in the NFL.
Mendoza has big-time potential, but throwing a rookie quarterback into an offense with lackluster wide receiver talent, a questionable offensive line and no running game is a recipe for disaster.
Insider Reveals When He Thinks Fernando Mendoza Will Make First Raiders Start