Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza just said exactly what needed to be said without saying anything at all
The Las Vegas Raiders made the right decision in drafting Fernando Mendoza, and he showed that during his first preseason game vs. the Cardinals.
Thursday night, everyone in the football world was waiting for one thing: To see rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza make his NFL debut with the Las Vegas Raiders. Sure, nothing he did in the game counts in the record books or stat sheets. But it counts toward his experience. And he got to send a message.
Mendoza did a whole lot of talking without saying anything at all. What do I mean by that? Well, Mendoza let everyone know that he will be a premier QB in this league. It’s not a matter of if, but when. In this case, Mendoza sent a message that it’s only a matter of time. And this is not to say we shouldn’t take all of this with a grain of salt. We should. In fact, I’d try not to overreact if I were a Raiders fan. I’d try to remember this was a preseason game with the 2s, against the 2s. But man, that second drive was a real beauty. And it’s the kind of drive you see from really good QBs.
Fernando Mendoza showed that he may be ready sooner than the Raiders want
The Raiders aren’t trying to make sure Mendoza isn’t ready. They’re not trying to make sure he stays on the bench. Vegas is trying to make sure, or guarantee, that he is ready. It’s one preseason game, but it feels like he’s going to be ready much sooner than some expect.
His first drive was, admittedly, not good. It’s first-drive jitters; we see it often. And most of it was not his fault. Sure, he threw a ball away and had some time in the pocket at times. He also had the “Medicine ball” to Mike Washington that he definitely shouldn’t have thrown. But a penalty sent the Raiders in the wrong direction, and they just couldn’t bounce back. But the next drive was the one.
After that, it was all orchestration from Mendoza. He drove his team down the field and scored a touchdown. On that drive was a 56-yard run by rookie running back Mike Washington. Then, a 19-yard back-shoulder dime to rookie wide receiver Malik Benson. From under center, play action, Mendoza threaded the needle between two defenders to Benson. It was a sight to see. That’s a connection we have heard about a ton. One we didn’t hear about much during the first few weeks of training camp was Mendoza and Jack Bech.
The second-year wide receiver, who was a second-round pick by the Raiders last year, saw himself have some big-time catches. He had a first-down catch on third down from Kirk Cousins. Then, he had the touchdown from Mendoza. On this touchdown, he ran a small slant. Mendoza put it only where Bech could get it, right in his stomach. Vegas scored the touchdown to make the game 21-14 in favor of the Cardinals.
The Raiders continued to keep him on for two more drives. One, the offense was halted after Mendoza had a throwaway and was hit to the ground. On the next one, there was nothing really going for the offense.
Penalties continued to beat this team up on offense, along with simple mistakes like blocking assignments and other small things that make a world of difference. Even after those two drives, it’s still obvious Mendoza is on his way. But not only does he have to be ready, but the Raiders also have to be ready for him.
