For the first time in a long time, the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback situation is not a source of angst for this fanbase. Instead, it's full of anticipation and hope with the arrival of No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza and when he will make his first start after Kirk Cousins is done keeping his seat warm.
The driver of the timeline for Mendoza to make his first start during the 2026 NFL season is, of course, the performance (and health) of Cousins. The latter is supposed to be the steady veteran hand who will show Mendoza the ropes, but the apprentice may become the master soon.
Of course, there will be ebbs and flows with Cousins, and the clamoring for Mendoza to play will ride those waves. One week, it might be "Cousins can start 10-plus games, let's make sure Mendoza is good and ready." The next, it could be, in the kindest terms, "Cousins is washed, let's see Mendoza."
So, with that, we bring you the weekly "Mendoza Meter."
After every game, we will use a simply 1-10 scale to take a reading on how close we are to seeing the Raiders' quarterback of the future become the present. "1" will represent something along the lines of "it's not happening for awhile" and "10" will be something like "he's starting next week."
Following the season opener, the meter is already at a 5.
Week 1 Fernando Mendoza Meter: Raiders' Kirk Cousins doesn't wow or completely tank against Dolphins
The Raiders got a solid season-opening 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Cousins started hot, going 9-for-9 for 64 yards and a touchdown to Jack Bech on the first offensive drive. He would complete his first 10 passes of the game, for an efficient, albeit fairly boring 69 yards.
From there, Cousins went 11-for-20 for 91 yards and two more touchdowns, both to running back Ashton Jeanty. But he also threw two ugly interceptions in the second half, which gave Miami life they otherwise would not have had. The door should have been shut, but Cousins kept it open.
If the Mendoza meter was finalized after that first dive on Sunday, or even after the first half, it may have been a 1, or even a zero. Late in the game, taking the entire game to that point into account mind you, FOX game analyst Mark Schlereth offered comments suggesting he'd still have it a 1 or a zero.
But Cousins needed to accomplish a few things against the Dolphins to keep the Mendoza buzz at bay. One, a mark in the win column, was clearly done. He also needed to operate the offense efficiently and take care of the football.
Those things were basically a tale of two halves, with the second half doing a lot to diminish the fast start. And we'll dive more into Cousins' inability to push the ball downfield in a longer-form piece, but for now, let's keep it simple: Cousins was fine, but faith that it'll hold up against better foes is low.
So after Week 1, we'll put the "Mendoza Meter" at 5. See you next week.
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