In the 45-17 loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 11, Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza made his NFL regular-season debut once the game had been decided, as head coach Klint Kubiak likely wanted to give the rookie live reps.
Nonetheless, now that Mendoza has wet his feet a little with NFL action, the question is: When does the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft start for the Raiders?
When the Raiders were 3-0, there were conversations that Mendoza could sit the entire season. However, after losing back-to-back games, the talks about when the rookie could take over as the starter are beginning to resurface.
For CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, he sees the situation playing out with Cousins’ play being the sole factor. Cousins has performed well, and the Raiders have won games, but once that stops, Prisco believes it’s time for Mendoza.
“Kirk Cousins has earned the right to stay in there,” Prisco said during an Oct. 11 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “As long as you’re winning football games, or at least competing in games for the next couple of weeks, he’ll stay in there. But if he has a couple of bad games, then I think it becomes Fernando Mendoza time.
“I’m a big believer that the sooner you get to the guy, the better off it is for the organization. As long as they’re competing and staying in games, the next two weeks are going to be tough. They have a brutal schedule over the next two weeks. If you got the Bills and Rams and they lose both those games and Cousins doesn’t play well, then again, you regroup and you go, ‘OK, well, maybe it’s Mendoza time.'”
Kirk Cousins Can Remain Raiders’ Starter If He Wins Games
Meanwhile, Ran Carthon of CBS Sports also said in that same segment that Cousins can stay the Raiders’ starter as long as he wins games. However, once that stops, then the Silver and Black have to start making the transition to Mendoza.
“The leash is getting shorter,” Carthon said. “The leash is getting shorter because you know what you have waiting and what your future holds. But again, based on his performances, they’ve lost two in a row. No one expected them to win three games. Even the one they lost last week was a close game.
“They had a chance to win the football game, and that was because of Kirk Cousins and how he’s been playing. I feel like he deserves the right to continue. I think he’s going to continue to lead this football team, but if they continue to lose games and they lose games because of Kirk Cousins, then I think the transition starts.”
Fernando Mendoza on His NFL Regular-Season Debut
After the game, Mendoza spoke to the media and shared his first thoughts on making his NFL regular season debut.
“It wasn’t a great experience because of the overall outcome, and I wanted to do my part any way I could to help the team,” Mendoza told reporters on Oct. 11. “I was called upon, and I really appreciate all my teammates, especially some of the starters, for going out there with a fighting effort. I really appreciate all those guys for putting forth their best effort on that last drive.”
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