The Seattle Seahawks weren’t active in the final hours leading up to the 4 pm ET Nov. 10 trade deadline. However, their Week 10 opponent was the Las Vegas Raiders, who traded Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, Seattle will be facing Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick from this year’s draft.
Mendoza will be getting his first career NFL start against the reigning Super Bowl champions and one of the best defenses in the league. There are some pros and cons for the Seahawks in facing the rookie in Week 10.
Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus shared the positives for the Seahawks’ defense in facing the former Indiana Hoosier star.
“The positive for the Seahawks is that they’re playing against a rookie, and they’re one of the best defenses in the league,” Bumpus said in a Nov. 10 video from Seattle Sports. “There are things he just doesn’t know because he’s never been that guy.
“… You are familiar with [Klint] Kubiak’s offense, so you can try to figure out how you think you’re going to use him. I think Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza are similar quarterbacks. Obviously, Mendoza is more mobile and younger. He can run, but it’s going to be hard on that rookie.”
Seahawks Won’t Have Much Tape on Fernando Mendoza
Moreover, Bumpus also shared the negative regarding facing Mendoza, given that there’s not much NFL tape on him other than the brief appearance against the New England Patriots and his preseason action.
“The negative is that you don’t know how to prepare,” Bumpus added. “There’s no film on Fernando Mendoza playing for the Raiders. You can go back and look at his attributes from his time at Indiana, but as far as his NFL experience, you might be able to look at some preseason games, but you don’t know what he’s capable of.
“… Sometimes rookies come out and light it up because they’re not aware of the severity of the situation. They’re just out there thinking, ‘I’m just happy to be here. This is my first time. I’m going to let it go.’ Mendoza is going to be prepared.”
Zach Charbonnet Will Look to Continue Positive Momentum
Aside from facing the rookie QB, the Seahawks will be looking to continue the positive performance from their running game, which produced 120 rushing yards in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Furthermore, Zach Charbonnet has 77 of those 120 rushing yards on 16 carries. Ahead of the Raiders game, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth shared his thoughts on the Seahawks’ ground game, with Charbonnet starting to trend in a positive direction.
“[Charbonnet] was the catalyst for that drive that ended with their first touchdown to take a 7-3 lead,” Schlereth said in a Nov. 10 video from Seattle Sports. “I thought he looked really good coming off that performance. He looked completely different. I don’t know about last year, but he looked different in that offense than anything I’ve seen from their running backs all season.
“That was really nice to see, and it’s going to take some pressure off the offense. When you can run the ball like that and make that kind of impact, I think it bodes really well for the Seahawks and their offense.”
Seahawks Receive Fernando Mendoza Take Ahead of Raiders Game