No. 1 pick Mendoza debuts late in Raiders' loss: 'He did a good job' — SkimNews
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- Fernando Mendoza made his NFL regular-season debut late in the fourth quarter of the Raiders' 45-17 loss to New England, entering with Las Vegas trailing by 28 points
- Mendoza completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards and drove the Raiders into the red zone, but the possession ended when his fourth-down scramble fell short of the marker
- Mendoza took blame for not standing in the pocket and hitting practice squad wide receiver Deven Thompkins over the middle on fourth down: 'That is totally my fault, and I let the offense down on that play'
- Kirk Cousins went 19 of 28 for 243 yards, a touchdown and a 106.7 passer rating, but was sacked four times and pressured on 39% of his dropbacks
- Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, last season's MVP runner-up, shredded Las Vegas' defense for 374 passing yards and five total touchdowns
- Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said the team's quarterback plan is unchanged with Cousins starting, but praised Mendoza: 'He did a good job'
- Las Vegas dropped its second straight game and managed just 38 rushing yards in what the article describes as the team's worst performance of the season
Why it matters: With Cousins still producing a 106.7 passer rating despite absorbing pressure on 39% of his dropbacks, Mendoza's cameo likely stays a cameo for now — but the No. 1 pick now has real regular-season film to grade, and Kubiak left the rotation door visibly open if the offensive line woes continue.
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