Any lingering hope that fans had of Fernando Mendoza being the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 1 starter surely evaporated during Thursday night's preseason finale. Kirk Cousins just looks more efficient and comfortable executing Klint Kubiak's offense, as one could argue he has all preseason.
But has it really been a fair fight?
Mendoza ostensibly got reps with the first-team offense against the San Francisco 49ers, with the caveat being that he didn't have Tyler Linderbaum, Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer or Tre Tucker out there. You know, just the best offensive lineman and the three best pass-catching weapons missing.
Still, even though Kubiak won't admit that he and the coaching staff have made a decision on who will be under center against the Miami Dolphins to kick off the 2026 NFL season next month, the writing is on the wall. Mendoza's QB1 bid came up short, but if we're being honest, it's not entirely his fault.
Raiders didn't give Fernando Mendoza a fair shake to win QB1 job
In the first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Mendoza looked great. As any rookie does, he had some shaky moments, but his performance would have been the talk of the town had Deven Thompkins not slowed down and failed to haul in a tremendous throw to the end zone by Mendoza.
Had it been Bowers, Mayer or Tucker locating that pass, the Raiders would have been celebrating a touchdown. And in his second outing against the Houston Texans, a miscommunication between him and Mike Washington Jr. led to a pick-six, which has been a dark cloud over him for the last week.
Should Mendoza drift toward the route and throw back toward the middle late? No. But if Ashton Jeanty were out there, he would have known to stay put and not drift with him, and we're most likely looking at a caught pass or an incompletion, and not a drive-ending turnover.
Malik Benson also did him no favors against the Texans, as he dropped a perfect pass on third down, which prematurely ended a drive, and he didn't reel in another ball that he should have, which ended another possession. Two plays gone awry that weren't his fault changed the complexion in Houston.
And then in the preseason finale, Mendoza ripped a ball to Jalen Nailor that, to be fair, was a bit high. But again, Bowers is bringing that in, and even Kubiak told reporters both before and after watching the film that Nailor has to make the play there, absolving Mendoza of blame.
If Thompkins doesn't slow down and Benson and Nailor hold on to the ball, then the conversation around Mendoza would be vastly different around the league, and the rookie quarterback would have had the opportunity to make a much bigger impression this preseason.
Kubiak and the staff's neglect to put him out there with the team's best weapons hindered their ability to evaluate him properly, though. And that's on them. Not to mention, Mendoza was stuck behind an offensive line that couldn't keep him clean or help propel backs in the running game.
Without much time to operate and several plays simply wasted by a missed assignment, a quick pass rush loss or a stunt gone wrong, Mendoza had to play behind the sticks, with pressure in his face and through tons of hits, all the while his receivers weren't quite doing their job downfield.
Was Mendoza perfect? Certainly not. He has plenty of things to work on as he embarks on his first NFL season under the tutelage of Cousins, Kubiak, Andrew Janocko and Mike Sullivan. But let's not act like his reps and Cousins' reps were 1:1 comparisons.
Where Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza can improve
As we just said, Mendoza has room to improve. That shouldn't be controversial to say or looked at as a criticism. Heck, Bowers and Maxx Crosby have stuff they need to work on. But luckily, Mendoza's mistakes are very correctable, and he has the desire to make these things right.
One area that Mendoza needs to clean up is his footwork when going through his progressions. When he got to his first or second read, or was able to throw to the first side of the field he looked at, he had almost no issues. But he didn't always have a solid base when getting to reads three or four.
That led to him drifting and throwing passes a bit unbalanced or slightly off target, or put him in peril when the pocket was collapsing, leaving him with fewer escape routes. Maybe he won't be under as much pressure when he eventually plays with the 1s, but it's an area to improve nonetheless.
Another thing that Mendoza could clean up is his timing. Again, it's hard to get on the same page with receivers who won't even be in the building this time next week, but finding a way to get cohesive with whoever his targets are is paramount.
His anticipation was good throughout the preseason, although he did get a bit overzealous at times. Benson wasn't great at bringing in back-shoulder throws, and yet he threw a few of them to him. A high pass to short receivers like Nailor and Thompkins isn't always a recipe for success.
Should these receivers be able to catch them? Absolutely. But being able to play to his receivers' strengths is a next-level thing that Mendoza can improve upon before he takes the reins in Las Vegas and doesn't give them back for hopefully a decade or more.
Look, Mendoza is a good player already, and I think he'll be great. Anyone giving up on him or even questioning him after a few preseason games in a tough situation is not exactly being fair or painting a complete and accurate picture.
The best part about Mendoza, as Raider Nation knows, is that he has great fortitude and a thirst to be better. So, while it may not have been a fair fight this preseason, Mendoza doesn't see it that way, and he won't get in his feelings. He'll remain a great leader, question-asker and tireless worker.
Mendoza may have lost the battle for QB1, but he will win the war.
Add us as a preferred source on Google