Fernando Mendoza’s debut with the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t come when anybody was hoping it would. The team would’ve much rather have had him come in to relieve Kirk Cousins during a blowout win.
Instead, the Raiders decided to give Mendoza his first action in the midst of a 45-17 blowout loss to the New England Patriots. The No. 1 pick only got to play one drive, but he looked solid.
He completed six of eight passes for 48 yards. He was getting the ball out quickly and moving well within the pocket. Now, this did come against the Patriots’ backups at the end of the game, so it’s hard to read too much into it.
The Raiders can at least take solace in knowing it wasn’t a total disaster. For now, it looks like Cousins is still the starting quarterback going forward. This loss wasn’t his fault, as he played decently and didn’t turn the ball over. The pressure to play Mendoza will only grow with each loss, but Cousins isn’t worried about that right now. He praised the young quarterback after the game.
“Did a nice job competing. I thought he played well and did a good job,” Cousins told reporters.
Klint Kubiak Talks Mendoza Decision
Cousins was playing like a borderline MVP candidate through the first four games, so it has been easy to keep Mendoza off the field. Even if Cousins keeps playing good football, there’s going to be pressure to play Mendoza the more the Raiders lose.
Head coach Klint Kubiak may not have wanted to play Mendoza this early in the season, but it wouldn’t have made sense to keep Cousins out there any longer. Kubiak was short when explaining why he put Mendoza in.
“Just wanted to get him some exposure,” Kubiak said after the game.
Though it was a small sample size, Kubiak was pleased with what he saw from the rookie quarterback.
“He did a good job,” Kubiak said of Mendoza.
Raiders Don’t Need to Panic
The 3-0 start to the season may have given the Raiders a false sense of confidence. They clearly aren’t one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they have a way to go to compete with the top teams.
While losing is always going to hurt and Kubiak is a competitive coach, there’s no reason for the Raiders to panic. The team was never expected to win these types of games this year.
Now, a blowout isn’t great. It just shows how much work the team still has to do on both sides of the ball. The way the defense played has to be a big concern. The Raiders still need another draft and free agent class before they’re real threats in the AFC.
That said, the Raiders are headed in the right direction. Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills will be telling. The Raiders are at home, and while the Bills are the superior team, they are going to be on a short week. Las Vegas simply can’t get blown out in an embarrassing fashion. If that happens, then it might be time to be concerned.
Kirk Cousins Sends Clear Message to Fernando Mendoza After Benching