The Las Vegas Raiders are in free fall. They dropped their fourth game in a row against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. After starting the season 3-0, the Raiders are now 3-4.
The Rams loss wasn’t particularly close. The Raiders made it a bit competitive in the fourth quarter, but ended up losing 35-21. Despite the lopsided loss, the team didn’t turn to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t bad in the game. His lack of mobility hurts the offense, but he did throw two more touchdown passes and didn’t turn the ball over.
At the same time, the Raiders should be trying to give Mendoza as many reps as possible. According to head coach Klint Kubiak, the team decided against putting Mendoza in because the game got competitive in the fourth quarter.
With the Raiders in the midst of a four-game losing streak, it might not hurt to put Mendoza in and see if he can provide a spark. Kubiak didn’t rule out the idea of playing Mendoza.
“We have to go watch the film,” Kubiak told reporters when asked if the Raiders could turn to Mendoza. “I think at this point, we’ve got to think about everything. How to fix our problems. How to fix our issues in the red zone in the third quarter and personnel scheme. We’ve gotta talk about all of it.”
Week 8 Could Be Good Time to Play Mendoza
The Raiders have a prime opportunity to get back on track with a Week 8 matchup against a bad New York Jets team on the docket. The Jets defense has played well this season, but they’re 2-5.
Week 9 against the San Francisco 49ers and Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks won’t be good times to give Mendoza his first start. Those are two very good pass defenses.
If the Raiders don’t start Mendoza against the Jets, they might as well wait for the bye week at that point.
Does Cousins Deserve to Get Benched?
If Cousins gets benched, it’s going to be because of the way he has played. He has 16 touchdown passes this season. Cousins has had solid command of the offense and clearly knows Kubiak’s system well.
His biggest problem is that he just can’t move. When the Raiders’ pocket collapses, he is no threat to make a play with his legs. Mendoza isn’t Lamar Jackson, but he’s a much better athlete than Cousins.
Also, the Raiders may even want to start thinking about trading Cousins. He’s played good football, but he’s not the future quarterback for the team, and they aren’t looking like a threat for the playoffs. There are good teams like the Minnesota Vikings that could use an upgrade at starting quarterback.
If the Raiders keep losing, there’s no reason not to put Mendoza out there to see what he can do. They do have talent on the roster, but they need a spark. Mendoza could potentially provide that spark, but it remains to be seen if the Raiders are ready to take that step yet.
Klint Kubiak Raises Eyebrows With Response to Fernando Mendoza Question