Fernando Mendoza Shows Poise, Not Perfection, in Raiders Debut Loss to Cardinals

Fernando Mendoza took his first NFL snap with 3:39 left in the opening quarter. By the time he came off the field, he’d already thrown his first touchdown pass and never put the ball on the ground.

The Las Vegas Raiders dropped their first preseason game of 2026 to the Arizona Cardinals, 27-14, but they learned quite a bit more about their future franchise quarterback.

Was he perfect? No. Did he flash the talent, smarts and physical skills that made him the Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? Yes.

Mendoza finished the night going 10-of-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown. He did not turn over the ball, nor was he close to doing so.

Also Read:: Las Vegas Raiders Will Not Rush Fernando Mendoza and That’s the Right Call

Fernando Mendoza Was Impressive, Not Perfect, in Debut

While Fernando Mendoza didn’t light up the scoreboard or put up big numbers on Thursday night, he did show he’s learning and developing well at the NFL level.

His first snap ended when, under pressure, he threw it away to avoid going down for a sack. No one has questioned Mendoza’s smarts and he passes that first tough rookie test by making the right decision before a single completion. That shows as an incompletion in the stat book but when evaluating a rookie quarterback, it’s a good sign.

The first completion for Mendoza came on a 9-yard pass play to second-year receiver Jack Bech for nine yards. Mendoza threw it into a tight window, finding him in the flat. What stuck out there was his command of the play and ability to progress through his reads. This was not Mendoza finding a receiver by luck.

“It showed me I need to grow a lot.” Mendoza on first NFL game

As the game moved into the second quarter on the Raiders second possession with Mendoza under center, the young quarterback found fellow rookie Malik Benson on two passes of 19 and six yards, further cementing the early connection between the two. Not only are the two comfortable with one another, but Mendoza was quick to identify and trust a specific window against the coverage.

“I was able to identify the coverage and I knew the spot Malik was going to be,” Mendoza said. “The timing and anticipation on the route was fantastic. It was a great fake by the running back, and it’s something we’ve worked on — that timing and anticipation.”

Mendoza capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Bech.

“Jack made a great catch. The offensive line made great blocks, and it was great.”

Mendoza’s Scoring Drive Also Showed His Inexperience

One common mistake for NFL rookie quarterbacks is holding the ball too long. Although Mendoza showed great decision-making by throwing away his first pass, on the touchdown drive, on 1st-and-goal from the Arizona 4-yard line, he was pressured, held the ball too long, and was sacked for an 8-yard loss. Although he showed great command with his reads, this was an example of the opposite.

But as Mendoza has said himself, he works to avoid making the same mistake twice. After the sack came the touchdown throw to Bech on a great read into a very tight window. He made a mistake, learned and built on it.

His coach, Klint Kubiak, was his typical, straightforward self when asked about the sack.

“Some good lessons,” Kubiak said. “We look forward to attacking the tape with him. He knows we can’t take a sack, those things. He’s gonna grow from it.”

Overall, Mendoza admitted he wasn’t satisfied with his first real NFL action, but remained positive and focused on getting better.

“I let my teammates down today, but it’s a growing experience,” Mendoza said. “I feel like we’re all grinding, and it showed me I need to grow a lot. You don’t want to let them down, but at the same time, you understand to be at your best, you have to be composed and have a next-play mentality. Look at the next play as a new opportunity, as a blank slate — that’s the only one that matters. That’s how you control the controllables, and that’s how you bounce back from adversity.”

Kirk Cousins Comfortable Letting Mendoza Learn

Kirk Cousins, who in his only action of the game on the first drive finished the game 5-of-6 for 50 yards and a touchdown to tight end Michael Mayer on the Raiders first offensive drive, was asked about what he said to Mendoza before his NFL debut.

“I just let him be,” Cousins said. “I don’t know that I need to pull him aside and say, ‘Hey, here’s some wisdom.’ I think he’s a pretty smart, mature player, and if anything, I don’t want to get in his way. I think he knows what he’s doing and has a good feel. I don’t want to overload him. If I’m observing and I feel like I can offer a quick nugget, I will. He’s a great question-asker — a lot of times he’ll just ask. But there are also times where I say, ‘Hey, nothing needs to be said, go do your thing, you got it.’ There’s a lot of good football up ahead.”

Much has been made about the quarterback “competition” that’s not really a competition, but Mendoza was quick to talk after the game about how observing how Cousins goes about his business has been helpful to him and that he’s always watching the 15-year veteran.

“Kirk is giving me a lot of advice, and as we can see from his play out there today — especially the first-team offense — he’s very good at what he does,” Mendoza said. “Someone like Kirk is a master of his craft. It’s very beneficial to learn from him, to listen to him, and sometimes ask him questions. So he’s giving me a lot of wisdom, whether it’s firsthand, secondhand, or just watching him operate today — the way he was composed out there and led a great touchdown drive.”

The Plan for Mendoza Moving Forward

With a game under his belt, Mendoza’s next challenge will be joint practices with one of the best defenses in the NFL — the Houston Texans — next week. Then, a preseason game against the same Houston squad, closing out against the San Francisco 49ers. Will the young quarterback see more action in those games?

“He’s a young man who needs this experience and needs reps,” Kubiak said. “We’re gonna give them to him.”

Mendoza sounds like he’s already bought in.

“Reps is always the answer,” he said. “The more repetition you get at a craft, the closer you get to mastery.”

Other Takeaways From Cardinals Game

• Defense Struggles: Although wins and losses aren’t the important factor during the preseason, the Raiders’ young defensive backs and the second- and third-unit struggled mightily agains Arizona. Three different Cardinals quarterbacks got snaps. Didn’t matter who was under center. Gardner Minshew went 14-of-16 for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Kedon Slovis followed with a 7-of-9 day for 75 yards. Then Jacoby Brissett came in and hit all five of his throws for 44 yards and a score. Add it up and that’s 26 completions on 30 attempts. 86.7 percent. Zero picks. Three different guys splitting the reps and none of them missed. Arizona spread it around everywhere else, too. Thirteen different players caught a pass. Six backs got carries. The Cardinals finished with 368 total yards to the Raiders’ 317. It Didn’t matter who Las Vegas had at corner on a given series. Somebody in a white jersey was open.
• Washington Jr. Comes as Billed: Arkansas rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. has been the talk of training camp and he did not disappoint the Allegiant Stadium crowd. After rattling off a 7-yard gain early in the second quarter touchdown drive that was called back on a holding call, all he did was take the next snap from Mendoza and escape for a 53-yard gain. The play, set up by a blistering Charles Grant block, showed the youngster’s second-level speed as he scampered all the way to the Arizona 15 to set up the Raiders in the red zone. The Raiders could have one of the league’s best one-two punches in the backfield if he continues to play like he did tonight.
• It Might Be Sayonara for the Tokyo Toe: Undrafted rookie kicker Kansei Matsuzawa continued to struggle. Against the Cardinals, Matsuzawa was called for a penalty for a short kickoff and missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Matsuzawa is seemingly further behind Matt Gay although the Raiders kicking situation seems to be unsettled and could see the team look to the street for another veteran option.

Related: Maxx Crosby Opens Up on Collapsed Ravens Trade and Future With the Las Vegas Raiders

Related Headlines

• Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart Puts DJ Glaze at Right Tackle, Darien Porter at CB2
• Raiders Training Camp: Kirk Cousins Returns to First Team, Rookie CB Jermod McCoy Keeps Climbing
• Maxx Crosby Opens Up on Collapsed Ravens Trade and Future With the Las Vegas Raiders