After Kirk Cousins and the Raiders first team had their one drive, the moment that everyone was waiting for arrived. Fernando Mendoza took the field in a Raiders uniform for the first time. So, how did he do? Pretty good, actually.
Mendoza's stat line didn't really jump out at you. He went 10/16 for 97 yards and one TD. But it's not about the raw stats so much as it was how things played out. And for his first time out, there was a lot to like. Let's get into it.
Mendoza's first series went just six plays. His first pass he threw away in order to live to play another down. That next down was third-and-eight and he completed his first pass on a great ball along the right sideline where only Jack Bech could get it.
From there, his first possession was derailed by a holding penalty. The next play he got Mike Washington blown up right as the ball arrived on a crossing route. And the Raiders would have to punt it away.
One big test for the young rookie is how he bounces back from such drives. And, in that respect, his next drive showed great resilience.
His first pass of the drive was perhaps his best of the day, threading the needle between defenders to find his favorite camp target Malik Benson for 19 yards.
Fernando Mendoza threading the needle!
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That pass seemed to get Mendoza going. Well, that and an awesome 53-yard run by Mike Washington to put the Raiders at the Arizona 15-yard-line.
But even with the assist, adversity hit right after. A back-shoulder pass for Malik Benson fell incomplete on what should have been a pass interference, but that went uncalled. Next play, Mendoza saw an opening and didn't hesitate, showing off his wheels to pick up seven yards.
That run brought up third and eight. He then found Benson again, leading him perfectly for what probably should have been a first down pass, but Benson was unable to get it there.
After picking up first and goal on a one-yard Washington run, Mendoza had to dig out of a hole again. He was sacked for a seven-yard loss on a play no one got open and the pocket completely collapsed around him. He got those yards back on the next play with a great read and pass to Ian Thomas for eight yards.
On third and goal from the six, Mendoza put the ball right where it needed to be -- low and inside -- for Jack Bech to score on the quick slant.
FERNANDO MENDOZA FIRST RAIDERS TD
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The touchdown tied it up at 14-14 in the second quarter and was his last opportunity before the half.
His next drive was a three-and-out which featured a off-target pass for Benson and a roll out which he held onto the ball too long and was nailed as he threw it away. Not the way he wanted to have his day remembered, so he would get one more shot.
His final drive would be much better. A couple runs set up third and two, where he would zip a pass to Dareke Young in stride on the cross for ten yards to midfield. Two play later he would show his pocket presence, scanning the field and going through his progressions. And then throwing a laser over the middle to his third read which was Brandon Johnson for 13 yards.
That play put the Raiders back in scoring range at the 37. A dumpoff to Dylan Laube picked up another 15 yards and a six-yard connection with Deven Thompkins got the Raiders to the 16-yard-line. But on third-and-seven, Mendoza passed up a potential first down underneath to Ian Thomas to go for the long ball to Thompkins. The pass was too long and fell incomplete and the drive was over.
Hard to fault him too much for going for the long ball. This is the preseason after all. And there was no guarantee Thomas would have truly been open by the time the ball arrived or that he would have been able to get the first down had he made the catch. That being said, the pass from Mendoza could have been better.
All in all, I can only really point to three of his 16 passes that deserve criticism. Two were off target and the other being the one that got Washington lit up on the cross. Two of the other three were throwaways and the last was the uncalled PI.
In the end, he still completed over 62% of his passes and had a 100.3 passer rating. A very solid debut for the rookie.
97 yards and a TD in Fernando Mendoza's preseason debut! @Raiderspic.twitter.com/1oBClaAkfr
— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2026
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Breaking down Fernando Mendoza's Raiders preseason debut